MxMIndia

Category: Ad Agencies

  • Up, Close and Personal with the former Leader of Mindshare, South Asia who moves in as Chief Client Officer at Mindshare Mena

    Getting set for Mindshare Mena: Ravi Rao

     

    As you read this, Ravi Rao, until recently Leader of Mindshare, South Asia is gearing up for his role as Chief Client Officer, of the group’s Middle East operations which he takes up next month. As he readies for it, Mr Rao tells Pradyuman Maheshwari about the things he is sad to leave behind – a great team, some good clients and the street food of Mumbai.

     

    Your thoughts as you take on the assignment of Chief Client Office-MENA…

    I’m excited to be back in MENA in the run-up to the 2020 Expo and of course the 2022 World Cup. The role enables me to uplift the Mindshare product and go on to become the trusted advisor to all our clients in the region.

     

    Will it be a homecoming of sorts? We’ve heard that you enjoy Dubai more than Mumbai. You can tell us the truth – we won’t lynch you for it!

    Though my real love is Mumbai — with Old Monk, the Jehangir Art Gallery, Colaba Causeway, the monsoons, and mouth-watering street food every Sunday after a two-hour session of badminton — Dubai has its share of eateries from over 100 countries, great shopping, Zaatar, clean beaches, a mix of the West and the East. The truth is, I always miss the ‘other side’. It is only a three-hour plane ride away, so I will continue to make frequent trips back.

     

    On a serious note, what would you say were the highs and lows of your stint as head of Mindshare South Asia?

    The biggest high was my Fulcrum stint. There is nothing like Unilever and – in my second avatar – winning pitches. The amount of adrenaline and high energy that I see in the team, is fantastic and allows up to keep raising the thinking and learning quotients. I hit my all-time-low in the last few weeks, when I knew it was time for me to wind up and that I would leave behind some great clients and team members who were far better than me in several aspects but made me shine.

     

    Did you have a happy relationship with you clients?

    Yes, with all of them. Some were easy to deal with; some made us really happy. But there were a few tough ones, too, that exasperated the team. But never once did this lead to any animosity.

     

    You’ve always been busy – lots of travel, clients meetings etc. And just when you should be enjoying the fruits of your labour, you’re moving. Shouldn’t you have chosen to stay on in India?

    Who isn’t busy in our industry now? This is a place where you get a lot of nibbles as you go along, never a big, fat feast at the end, to savour, relish and relax. I have had my share of wonderful nibbles. Why not get onto the other side of table now – not necessarily another table –for a new set of highs?

     

    Any lows? What has been you lowest moment?

    When the competition won a battle, once in a while, I felt a momentary low. But then you bounce back and say, “What the heck; Mindshare always wins the war”.

     

    Any regrets?

    None.

     

    What about the Emvies last year?

    [That was] a momentary despair in the longest winning streak of Mindshare. We will continue to haunt others, year after year.
    The last year-odd has also seen you as Chairman of the Media Research Users Council (MRUC).  How has your tenure been… a thankless job?

    Despite the acrimonious and inaccurate comments that made the gossip columns, I don’t take anything personally. The IRS is a fantastic product, designed and implemented by all the three stakeholders. But sometimes, there may be some bad losers. I am pretty confident that the industry needs a robust measurement metric, and the IRS is one such currency. It is here to stay.

     

    But the IRS has just not taken off and has been mired in much controversy. Your thoughts?

    The one for 2014 has just been released. Controversy is created by a few people who have time on their hands. This has only helped in realising that the IRS product is good. Everyone wants an increased sample, yet the same people who want the increase, do not want to pay for it. But I see that everyone will have to pay, in the near future.

     

    South Asia versus MENA – what are the key differentiators?

    The challenges remain the same – diversity and complexity. A robust quantitative research is still an issue in the Middle East, but the digital [space] is far ahead of South Asia. The heterogeneous mix of nationalities in an agency really adds to great learnings, both at a professional and a personal level.

     

    What would make you return to India? Any plans?  It’s too early for retirement plans for you, but any thoughts on the next 10 years?

    No plans, I make them as the need arises. But one thing is for sure, there is nothing called a retirement plan and I will continue to work, learn and teach. In 10 years, will it be anything to do with advertising or media? The answer is no.

     

    If you had the opportunity to relive the last three years as Leader, Mindshare South Asia, is there anything you would do differently?

    I would have celebrated every single month with my team for so many wins, successes and milestones. Lucky to have had a great team.

     

    This interview first appeared in ‘dna of brands’ dated April 6, 2015

     

  • They put in their papers last week and will serve notice till the end of April

    Navin Talreja & Kawal Shoor quit O&M to launch agency

    By Pritha Mitra Dasgupta

     

    Senior Ogilvy & Mather executives Navin Talreja and Kawal Shoor have quit to launch their own advertising agency. Both Talreja, president at O&M Mumbai & Kolkata, and Shoor, national planning director at O&M India, confirmed the development. They put in their papers last week and will serve notice till the end of April.

     

    The industry is abuzz with speculation they will join hands with Abhijit Avasthi, erstwhile national creative director of O&M who quit to launch his own venture along with ex-colleague Sonali Sehgal. Talreja and Shoor, however, denied it. “Let’s get the elephant out of the room. Kinu (Avasthi) is a great guy, but at the moment Kawal and I would like to go at it alone and start our own company and be on that adventure,” he said.

     

    Shoor said, “Navin and I are still talking about how to shape our new shop. And I desperately want to refrain from clichés (‘different’, ‘new kind of agency’, etc). We will let our work speak. The one thing we’re clear is that we will not chase numbers.”

     

    While Shoor has spent 21 years in O&M, Talreja has worked with the agency for 18 years. Overall, they have 40 years of experience in advertising and communications business with expertise in planning, business development, client servicing and administration. The duo is now looking for a creative partner for the new venture. “A creative partner (or partners) is crucial, and, thankfully, a few good minds are keen, but it’ll take alot more to build the kind of place we’re dreaming of. Navin and I will try to find some unconventional partners, as unless you have new kind of people, you won’t get new kind of work,” said Shoor

     

    A senior agency head, talking on condition of anonymity, feels Talreja and Shoor should join hands with Avasthi because they don’t have the creative expertise to start a new agency. Also, the duo shares a great rapport with Avasthi, the person said. “It only makes sense if they come together,” he said. But all the three have said there’s no chance of that happening. “I am not teaming up with Kawal and Navin to form a new agency,” Avasthi said. The news of Talreja and Shoor exiting O&M came to light on the eve of the 60th birthday of Piyush Pandey, executive chairman at the agency. “I have been out of Mumbai for the past five days and, hence, Navin and Kawal are yet to tell me what they are planning to do. But they are not joining hands with Abhijit,” Pandey said. “I can also say that they won’t do anything that is against the interest of O&M.”

     

    Some top officials, meanwhile, suggested Talreja quit because O&M recently went through a senior management restructuring following which Kunal Jeswani was made the CEO of the agency and Talreja didn’t get any prominent role. But Talreja said, “The reason to move on is a feeling that the time is right to try and do something new and exciting on my own.

     

    Do it at our own pace and scale and to enjoy a different kind of journey by challenging oneself.” Talking about the two exits, Jeswani said, “Change is inevitable. It keeps us sharp and makes us stronger. The transition is being worked out and should be completed in a month.”

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2015, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • Kavita will be spearheading DDB MudraMax's Ahmedabad operations

    Kavita Sadana appointed Group Account Director at DDB MudraMax

    By A Correspondent

     

    Kavita Sadana

    Kavita Sadana has joined DDB MudraMax as the Group Account Director.

     

    Kavita will be spearheading DDB MudraMax’s Ahmedabad operations and businesses including experiential, media, outdoor and retail.

     

    Kavita joins DDB MudraMax with a rich experience of over two decades in the marketing communications fraternity. She comes with a multi-dimensional background of working across platforms and sectors with organizations from media publishing, entertainment and advertising functions. Her career scale has boomed from starting at Asian Age where she worked in the marketing team to heading the team at Freihert Mydia, Ahmedabad in her last stint. Her experience includes working at strong and innovative organizations like Radio City, Amagi Media Labs and Fun Multiplex Pvt. Ltd to name a few.

     

    Mandeep Malhotra
    Sathyamurthy Namakkal

    Mandeep Malhotra, President and Head, DDB MudraMax said, “It’s great to have Kavita on board. Other than her experience, she brings a lot of joy and pride in working with great perseverance and professionalism. We are looking forward to her contribution in making Ahmedabad office a rocking and self-sustaining one.”

     

    Sathyamurthy Namakkal, President, DDB MudraMax-Media said “She is an excellent addition to the team and fortifies our team in the Gujarat market.”

     

  • The winners emerged from 92 finalists across 36 categories

    Havas, O&M, Lowe Lintas win big at APAC Effies 2015

    By A Correspondent

     

    APAC Effie Awards 2015 announced the winners at an Awards Gala held on 10 April 2015 at the Four Seasons Ballroom Singapore.

     

    Hosted by veteran actor and comedian Pam Oei and attended by some 170 marketing professionals from around the region, the awards gala presented a total of 61 Awards – 1 Grand Effie, 17 Golds, 19 Silvers and 24 Bronzes. The Grand Effie was awarded to Havas Worldwide and Child Survival India for their campaign “No Child Brides”.

     

    The winners emerged from 92 finalists across 36 categories and the coveted Agency of the Year Award went to Ogilvy & Mather Mumbai who picked up 8 awards – 2 Golds, 4 Silvers and 2 Bronzes. Lowe Lintas + Partners, India and DDB Auckland came in second and third respectively.

     

    Ogilvy & Mather was named the Agency Network of the Year, picking up a total of 4 Golds, 4 Silvers and 4 Bronzes from its agencies in the region followed by BBDO Worldwide and Lowe & Partners.

     

    India was the biggest winner walking away with a total haul of 18 awards, including the Grand Effie followed by Australia and New Zealand with 15 and 11 awards respectively.

     

    Awards Chairman Jarek Ziebinski said, “’Awarding Ideas that Work’ may sound like a simple concept but winning an APAC Effie is more than just an accolade. It is an affirmation of being the best in the Asia Pacific region, a true recognition of an agency’s expertise in delivering marketing campaigns that work and achieve results. This is the core reason our creative industry exists.  It also further validates a successful two-way collaboration between clients and agencies and the synergies that arise from it”.

     

    The APAC Effie Awards is organised by the Confederation of Asian Advertising Agency Associations (CAAAA) and Tenasia Group. Mr Harris Thajeb, CAAAA Chairman said, “ We are impressed with the high quality of work submitted.  The Asia Pacific region has again proven its relevance by continuing to improvise and explore new ways through the use of new technologies and fresh ideas to create an impact in their marketing communications and it is through this celebration that we honour marketing effectiveness excellence and recognise the success of these marketing campaigns”.

     

  • Yes! Vikram Sakhuja is joining Sam Balsara to take charge of the media agency empire plus the out-of-home business

    Now, Group CEO & Equity Partner, Madison Media

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    It’s a question which everyone in the industry has been asking him and each other since October 2014 when the name of a new Global CEO of Maxus was announced.

     

    When we asked him then with the lyrics of a classic Bollywood song: Yeh kya hua, kaise hua, kyun huaaa, he replied in an equally filmi style: Main toh chala jidhar challe rasta – only in this case I have an idea of what the manzil is.

     

    The ‘manzil’ clearly is the global headquarters of Madison World in North Mumbai.

     

    We’re referring to the man you see in the picture: Vikram Sakhuja, inarguably one of the most powerful and well-known media agency professionals in the country today.

     

    He joins Madison Media as an equity partner. A short statement we received from the office Madison World Chairman and Managing Director Sam Balsara announced:  “Madison World is delighted to announce that Vikram Sakhuja is set to join the Madison Media Group including OOH as Partner and Group CEO. Vikram will be responsible for the Media and OOH business of Madison World and will work closely with Sam Balsara.”

     

    This has indeed been a coup of sorts. As a senior industryperson who has known both Balsara and Sakhuja from close quarters said: “Sam is one of the smartest and shrewdest mediaperson in the country. And he has proven that yet again by getting Vikram on board.”

     

    The move also silences naysayers that Sam Balsara would do well to sell his stake in Madison World to a worthy international conglomerate. Perhaps he still will, the senior industryperson we spoke to earlier told us. “This may well be a way of saying that, yes, we are privately held company, but are professionally run.”

     

    An alumnus of IIT Delhi and IIM Calcutta, Mr Sakhuja has over 28 years of experience across the media and marketing landscape.  He has worked with Proctor & Gamble, Coca-Cola, Star India and of course GroupM where he headed South Asia operations as CEO and later Global CEO of Maxus.

     

    Said Mr Balsara in a statement: “I am delighted to have Vikram come on board and partner us in  Madison. I know Vikram as a true blue professional, over the last 20 years, first as a client, then a media partner and finally as a formidable competitor.  I am confident that he will be able to contribute significantly to our clients’ business growth and success, by providing the right strategic direction, given his vast and rich experience”.

     

    Added Mr Sakhuja in the same statement:  “I am truly excited at the prospect of returning home to India and in an entrepreneurial capacity. It is also a privilege to now partner a person who initiated me into media in my Client days. Media has never been more exciting, and I look forward to further strengthening an already iconic Agency brand.”

     

    Gautam Kiyawat

    Meanwhile, Gautam Kiyawat, current Madison Media Group CEO has decided to relocate to Singapore for personal reasons.  Balsara said the following on his movement: “I would like to place on record Gautam’s substantial contribution to Madison Media in the three years that he has been with us, especially in the area of growing our people and working as a team. I thank Gautam for his contribution  and wish him all the best in his future endeavours”.

     

    Madison Media Group is among the Top 3 media agency groups in the country handling media planning and buying for clients including Godrej, Mondelez, ITC, Marico, McDonald’s, Raymond, Piramal Healthcare, TVS, Levis, Domino’s, BhartiAxa, Max Life Insurance, Asian Paints, Pidilite, Tata Salt, Acer, Lafarge Cement, Crompton Greaves, Times Television Network, Indian Oil, Enamor Lingerie, Gowardhan Dairy, Viber, Lenskart, Metro Cash and Carry, Café Coffee Day and many others.  The gross billing of Madison Media is about Rs 3000 crore.

     

    It’ll be interesting to see how Sakhuja as head of Madison Media takes on former employer GroupM and friend Shash Sinha IPG Mediabrands, both of who are formidable competitors.  As followers of the space, we couldn’t have asked for any better.

     

  • They come in with solid experience and strong body of work to showcase

    Tejali Shete and Ajay Menon appointed Senior CD at DDB Mudra South & East

    By A Correspondent

     

    Tejali Shete
    Ajay Menon

    Tejali Shete and Ajay Menon have joined DDB Mudra South & East as Senior Creative Directors, based out of the agency’s Bengaluru office.

     

    With over a decade of experience in the creative communications industry, Tejali joins DDB Mudra from Grey Worldwide and a short stint at Leo Burnett, Kuala Lumpur. Tejali has worked with leading advertising agencies including Contract, Lowe Lintas, Ogilvy & Mather, Creativeland Asia, and Percept/H. She’s worked on an array of world-renowned brands including Coca-Cola regional, Samsung regional, Pantene, AmbiPur, Wella, Downy, Godrej Cinthol, Godrej Aer, Godrej Expert Hair Color, Asian Paints, Samsonite, HSBC, Tata Indicom and Photon, Louis Phillip, Vladivar Vodka, Johnson’s Baby, Femina, Ceat, and Brooke Bond Red Label to name a few.

     

    Ajay Menon joins DDB Mudra from JWT Chennai where he was Senior Creative Director & AVP. With over 16 years of experience, Ajay has worked on MRF, Blackberry smartphones, Cinthol, Godrej, TI Cycles, Indian Terrain, HP, Fiat, Mitsubishi, Sun Direct, Univercell, Mico Bosch, Lacto Calamine, and Piramal Healthcare. He has worked at Orchard in Mumbai, JWT in Chennai, and Saatchi in Bengaluru.

     

    Ranji Cherian

    On the new appointments Ranji Cherian, President, DDB Mudra South & East, quoted, “”I am delighted to have Tejali Shete & Ajay Menon join our team at DDB Mudra South and East. They come in with solid experience and strong body of work to showcase. They are extremely talented and nice to work with and fit into our DDB culture that prioritizes creativity & humanity. I am confident that their contribution will take our agency to greater heights.”

     

  • While Dentsu Aegis Network's iProspect Communicate 2 was named the Most Admired Agency in 'digital marketing', Carat Media Services India/psLive was named the Most Admired Agency

    Dentsu Aegis Media steals the show at Asian Customer Engagement Forum Awards 2015

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dentsu Aegis Network exhibited good dominance at the Asian Customer Engagement Forum (ACEF) Awards that was held on April 25 at Taj Lands End, Mumbai.

     

    While Dentsu Aegis Network’s iProspect Communicate 2 was named the Most Admired Agency in ‘digital marketing’, Carat Media Services India/psLive was named the Most Admired Agency in ‘events & promotions’. Posterscope India was named both the Most Admired Agency in ‘out-of-home media’ as well as the most admired customer engaging agency in ‘retail touch points & merchandising’.

     

    Haresh Nayak

    Also, Haresh Nayak, Regional Director, Posterscope APAC, was honoured with the Outdoor Advertising Professional of the Year award.

     

    Posterscope India bagged a total of 27 awards including 8 golds, 12 silvers and 5 bronze metals along with the agency titles. It was their work for clients such as Mother Diary, Philips, Nissan, Disney, Mattel, beam Suntory, Datsun and Movies Now  that brought home the awards in the following categories – effectiveness, creativity and successful use technology in retail, outdoor and ambient spaces.

     

    Carat was awarded a total of seven wins- 5 Gold and two Bronze. The Philips Aquatouch “New way to shave is here” campaign was awarded Gold for Promotion using Events. Philips LED lights “Change karo save karo” won Gold for successful use of technology. The overall activation was done in tandem with their sister concern PSLive which is into all things activation. Philips Trimmers bagged another Gold for “Best use of Celebrity Endorsement”. The Philips Airfryer campaign added yet another Gold to the tally under “Creativity on Television” category. The fifth Gold came in the form of “The Most Admired Agency for Events and Promotions”. Carat also won two Bronze for Philips Kerashine Range and Preethi Blue Flame Gas Stove launch campaign respectively.

     

    iProspect Communicate 2 picked up a total of four metals across various categories. The Big Bazaar ‘Everything for Nothing’ campaign was awarded a Gold metal for ‘Promotion using Digital Marketing’. The agency also picked up two awards in the ‘Successful Use of Technology’ category, a silver and a bronze for their Cleartrip and Koovs campaigns, respectively. In the Online Media category, iProspect Communicate 2 picked up a bronze medal for their ground-breaking work for HDFC Bank.

     

    Amongst the other DAN agencies, Isobar India went on to win a Silver in the promotions category for ‘Digital Marketing’ for the work done on Microsoft Lumia. Vizeum won a Gold for Viacom 18’s MTV Campus Diaries under the events category.

     

    Ashish Bhasin

    Commenting on the wins, Ashish Bhasin, chairman and CEO, South Asia, Dentsu Aegis Network said, “I am thrilled to know that the Dentsu Aegis Network has been able to achieve such recognition at a pan-Asia level. Sustaining customer engagement in this competitive market is a key task for our clients and I am happy that all our Dentsu Aegis Network companies have worked together to achieve this. It is a further testimony to our unique one P&L operating model, whereby we are able to provide our clients all the benefits of specializations without the hassles of dealing with silos. Heartiest congratulations to iProspectC2, Posterscope, Carat, psLive, Isobar, Vizeum and to Haresh Nayak for their respective wins. This further strengthens our position as the only network in India that can provide all marketing communications and media services, of world standards, under one umbrella.”

     

  • Pranav Harihar Sharma started his career with a small advertising agency in Indore as a summer trainee

    Grey appoints Pranav Harihar Sharma as ECD

    By A Correspondent

     

    Pranav Harihar Sharma

    GREY group India has appointed Pranav Harihar Sharma as the new Executive Creative Director who will lead the creative team in Delhi. Pranav joins GREY with over one and half decades of advertising experience. His last stint was with Linen Lintas as Group Creative Director where he was responsible for working on brands such as Dabur, Cardekho.com Tupperware, Oppo Mobiles, DLF, Panasonic India, Volvo cars, Yebhi.com etc.

     

    “We are delighted to have Pranav on board. The momentum that we have achieved in last one year, will only get accelerated with his sharp creative approach. He is going to lead and mentor a talented creative team and contribute immensely to Grey creating Famous and Effective work for our clients”, said Samir Datar, VP and Branch Head, GREY group Delhi.

     

    Malvika Mehra

    Malvika Mehra, National Creative Director and EVP said, “I already have a very talented bunch of creatives in Delhi; what was missing was a leadership…the most precious piece of the jigsaw. With Pranav coming on board, I think the final picture is indeed looking good. And I have no doubt that he and the teams at Grey Gurgaon will totally rock it.”

     

    Pranav Harihar Sharma started his career with a small advertising agency in Indore as a summer trainee in his final year of a management degree. After exploring nearly six years of advertising experience in Indore, he moved to Mumbai to be an independent film-maker. After having written and directed few television commercials, he started working with Rediffusion Y&R in Mumbai. After that, he worked with agencies such as DDB Mudra, JWT and Linen Lintas, having handled brands like Godrej, Future Group(BigBazaar,Fashion@Bazaar),Emami, Femina, LIC, Star News at DDB Mudra ; Nokia, Pizza Hut, Wal-Mart, Hero, Sony, Timex at JWT; Tata Motors, Bank of Maharashtra, Taj Group, MTS, Amway at Rediffusion Y & R.

     

  • Aircel is one of India's largest and fastest growing GSM mobile service provider with a subscriber base of 65.1 million

    Aircel picks DDB Mudra Group as its creative agency

    By A Correspondent

     

    Following a multi-agency pitch, Aircel has handed its creative mandate to DDB Mudra Group. The account will be handled by DDB Mudra North.

     

    The incumbent agency on the account is McCann World group.

     

    Madhukar Kamath

    Aircel is one of India’s largest and fastest growing GSM mobile service provider with a subscriber base of 65.1 million. Aircel is a pan India operator with a presence across 23 circles. The company offers voice & data services ranging from postpaid and prepaid plans, 2G and 3G services, Broadband Wireless Access (BWA), Long Term Evolution (LTE) to Value-Added-Services (VAS).

     

    On winning the account, Group CEO & Managing Director, Madhukar Kamath said: “This is a prestigious win for DDB Mudra Group. The whole team at DDB Mudra North and our pool of resources nationwide can’t wait to start working on the brand and add value. It helps that we have an unmatched experience in the telecom sector, in many international markets.”

     

    Sonal Dabral
    Sambit Mohanty

    Sonal Dabral, Chairman & CCO, DDB Mudra Group, “Being chosen by Aircel, one of India’s fastest growing telecom brands, as their communication partner is both an honour and a big responsibility. This win is a testament to the superb talent that we have across the DDB Mudra Group and we look forward to creating a host of breakthrough ideas for this innovative and exciting brand.”

     

    On working on Aircel again, Sambit Mohanty, Creative Head, DDB Mudra North, said, “It feels great to be back on Aircel! This is one of our biggest wins and we will leave no stone unturned to ensure some truly memorable work emerges out of it.”

     

  • The agency's Mumbai office will manage the mainline creative services for the high-end home appliances company

    L & K Saatchi & Saatchi bags mandate of Siemens home appliances

    By A Correspondent

     

    BSH Home Appliances has assigned its Siemens Home Appliances brand mandate to L&K Saatchi & Saatchi India, following a multi-agency pitch. The agency’s Mumbai office will manage the mainline creative services for the high-end home appliances company, who’ve been retailing aspirational kitchens appliances in India since 1997.

     

    Anil S. Nair, CEO & Managing Partner, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi said, “Siemens is a very respected brand in the home appliances category and we are honored that they have chosen us to be their creative partner. We hope to work closely with the marketing team to strengthen their leadership in the premium segment in the coming years.”

     

    On appointing L & K Saatchi and Saatchi, Bhavya Shah, Head of Brand Marketing, BSH Home Appliances said, “We are glad to welcome onboard L&K Saatchi & Saatchi to manage the mainline creative services of Siemens appliances in India. We as a company are driven by innovation and cutting edge technology, and Saatchi & Saatchi matched our expectations on scale, experience and the same drive to redefine the market. We are positive that this partnership will help us strengthen our position in India and go on to redefine Indian Homes.”

     

  • Tushar Vyas is Chief Strategy Officer and Lakshmi Narasimhan is back in the fold as Chief Growth Officer

    GroupM restructures top deck, CFO Sridhar Ramasubramanian is COO

     

    A Correspondent

     

    Media agency network GroupM has announced a slew of top-level appointments to steer ahead in the race as the media agency space gets competitive with the appointment of Vikram Sakhuja as Madison World Group CEO.

     

    Chief Financial Officer Sridhar Ramasubramanian has been elevated as Chief Operating Officer of GroupM South Asia. In his new role, the GroupM veteran will also manage the Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan markets.  The CEOs of these markets will report in to him.

     

    Lakshmi Narasimhan has been appointed as Chief Growth Officer for South Asia. Mr Narasimhan will take charge of the media partnerships and digital teams. With this appointment, GroupM has merged the erstwhile Central Trading Group  (CTG) with the GroupM digital platforms. Mr Narasimhan has prior experience with the group with stints at Mindshare Fulcrum and GroupM as Head of CTG. He was the CEO of Web18 till April 2014, the digital unit of the Network18 group. All the present CTG and digital teams will report into him..

     

    The third announcement concerns Tushar Vyas who has been promoted to the role of Chief Strategy Officer, GroupM South Asia.  Mr Vyas has been heading GroupM Interaction, the digital media arm of the network.

     

    Messrs Ramasubramanian, Vyas and Narasimhan will report into CVL Srinivas, CEO, GroupM South Asia. The current agency and specialist unit heads will continue reporting to Mr Srinivas.  While Ramasubramanian and Vyas assumed their new roles from May 1, Narasimhan was on board on May 4.

     

    Speaking on these developments, CVL Srinivas, CEO, GroupM South Asia said, “We are fortunate to have a very strong leadership team across GroupM backed by solid support from our regional and global offices. Sridhar, Tushar and Lakshmi are outstanding professionals all of whom have played major roles in developing our network.”

     

  • The music rights management and talent development company was co-founded by Farhan Akhtar, Anurag Rao and Excel Entertainment

    Tie-ups with movie producers and ad agencies can promote Indie talent: Farout Media

    By Dyanne Coelho

     

    They stole the limelight recently with a song ‘Mutant Macha’ licensed to Star Movies for the television premiere of the the film X-Men: Days of the Future Past. We are talking of Faroutmedia , a music rights management and talent development company, co-founded by Farhan Akhtar, Anurag Rao and Excel Entertainment. The song is a collaboration between Chennai-based indie band Skrat, Akhtar and Vishal Dadlani.

     

    “Mutant Macha is a classic example of integrating, licensing and monetizing a song with a massive marketing push at the time of song creation itself,” says Anurag Rao, co-founder of Farout Media. The company has provided for 100,000 free downloads of the song on their website after which downloads will be monetised. Farout Media is a talent solutions company that is focused on digging out indie talent in the music sphere and bringing it out onto mainstream platforms. The company essentially plays middleman between event management firms, television channels, radio networks and music talent, to bring offer the best experience to both. Farout organises talent for events like the FilmFare awards, Channel V Indiafest and even college fests.

     

    Rao believes that collaboration with movie producers and advertising agencies can push indie talent to levels like never before. “Farout is trying to build this artist-centric indie ecosystem, getting collaborative artists together, and take independent music into mainstream broadcast television, advertising, film, etc,” Rao said. Farout strives to take indie bands and put them into collaboration with mainstream brands, which they feel is the best way today to take independent music and place it on a higher pedestal. “Fans are never going to buy your music any more. How are you going to take your music out? You have to think of various distribution partnerships and avenues to take independent music out,” he adds.

     

    The advent of the digital media has in a way disrupted traditional methods of distribution of music like CD, Rao believes. “CDs are as good as obsolete now,” he said. “ITunes has now come in and become an inescapable infrastructure and we have to embrace technology and find different ways to take music out, and only technology can help.”

     

    “Skrat is the first indie band we’ve got on board, but we are working on more collaborative efforts with bands like Sparsh, Shaa’ir n Func, Sarah Jane and others. We are also working with a lot of Hindi non-film music, and we’re trying to take it onto a mainstream platform,” he concludes.