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Tag: Dentsu Aegis Network

  • AMNET will provide real-time insights through digital technology and big data gathering to help understand the consumers' on-line behaviour

    Dentsu Aegis Network launches Amnet in India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dentsu Aegis Network announced the launch of AMNET in India. AMNET is the state-of-the-art global trading desk in response to the technology driven revolution in digital media buying. This will transform the way digital investments are made in India. AMNET’s services will be exclusively available for the benefit of Dentsu Aegis Network clients.

     

    As part of its offerings, AMNET will fuse the best demand-side platform (DSP) technology to buy highly targeted audience-specific digital media across display, mobile and video.

     

    Ashish Bhasin

    AMNET will provide real-time insights through digital technology and big data gathering to help understand the consumers’ on-line behaviour. Digital footprints allow the right ads to be delivered to the right people, at the right time. Before the launch of AMNET, it was not possible to do that in India at a very large scale when compared to world standards.

     

    Said Ashish Bhasin, Chairman and CEO South Asia, Dentsu Aegis Network, “This is a very exciting investment that we are making for the benefit of our clients. For the first time in India, Dentsu Aegis Network clients will exclusively have access to programmatic buying at this scale and with such levels of sophistication. As a leading player in digital, with market-leading agencies like iProspect, Isobar, Dentsu Webchutney and WATConsult in our group, we wanted our clients to get the best of global standards in this important area; hence, the decision to bring AMNET to India.”

     

    Sumit Aggarwal

    Industry veteran Sumit Aggarwal will be leading this effort as the Country Head for AMNET India, reporting to Ashish Bhasin. He comes with 17 years of experience across M&E and the Telecom industry. Sumit was earlier serving as VP monetisation for multi screen advertising platform at Reliance Jio and prior to that has led Search, Display Ad Sales and Ad Product teams at Yahoo! India.

     

    Further, Salil Shanker will now handle the operational aspects of AMNET India as Business Head and will be based out of Dentsu Aegis Network’s Gurgaon office.

     

  • The agency won the account of the automobile brand following a multi-agency pitch

    Isobar wins digital mandate of JK Tyres

    By A Correspondent

     

    JK Tyres has appointed Isobar, the full service digital agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, as their digital agency of record. The agency won the account of the automobile brand following a multi-agency pitch.

     

    Sharing his thoughts on the association, Amitabh Prasad, General Manager – Marketing, JK Tyre & Industries said, “We are glad to see the enthusiasm that the people at Isobar have for the JK Tyre brand. While digital campaign planning and implementation comes naturally to a reputed agency like Isobar, what we are really looking forward to is the passion that these digital pioneers will bring to the table.”

     

    Shamsuddin Jasani

    Commenting on the win, Shamsuddin Jasani, Managing Director, Isobar India said, “We are privileged to work with JK Tyres. This win is a testament to the fact that we strive to provide innovative solutions and ideas without limits to our clients. It enhances our credentials as the leading full service digital marketing agency in India.”

     

  • Continuing with our World Cup previews, we look at how the Indian team's form is impacting broadcast sponsorship

    Is the form of Dhoni & Co keeping advertisers at bay?

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Is the Indian team’s cricketing form a worry for advertisers? We spoke to a few sports marketing specialists and this is their analysis: While the likelihood of India entering the quarter-finals is very high,    let’s take a close at look at the India fixtures and the time at which each of them is going to be aired (all timings in Indian Standard Time).

     

    Sun, Feb 15 v/s Pakistan, 9am

    Sun, Feb 22 v/s South Africa, 9am

    Sat, Feb 28, v/s UAE, 12 noon

    Fri, Mar 06  v/s West Indies, 12 noon

    Tue, Mar 10  v/s Ireland, 6.30am

    Sat, Mar 14  v/s Zimbabwe, 6.30am

     

    The first two matches will have much bearing on how India fares in the Cup. While the UAE and Ireland matches are India’s unless there is a major upset, the West Indies and Zimbabwe could not be taken too lightly. The last two matches start at 6.30am on Tuesday and Saturday so could see a beating in viewership and Feb 28 is Budget Day and will clash with Finance Arun Jaitley’s speech.

     

    And this is how the last seven fixtures are scheduled:

    Quarter-finals 1-3 March 18-20, 9am

    Quarter-final 4 March 21, 6.30am

    Semi-final 1 March 24, 6.30am

    Semi-final 2 March 26, 9am

    Final: March 29, 9am

     

    The likelihood of India reaching the quarter-finals is a near-certainty unless there are some major upsets, the likes of which we have seen in the group. But India has to play really badly to make way for the UAE, Ireland and Zimbabwe in the final four.

     

    Is India in really bad form? Could the performance of Dhoni & Co in the recent past have been caused due to some experimenting with the mix of the team?

     

    So what explains the lukewarm interest in the Cup? That’s more because every advertiser and media agency wants to beat the broadcaster on ad rates, which some advertisers told us was on the higher side. The later you sign up, the better the negotiations.

     

    Image: Nike publicity material of the unveiling of tge One Day International kit that the Indian Cricket team was to starting January 18 in Australia

     

    Rs 25 lakh for 10 seconds?!
     

    Ads get expensive as Star India seeks Rs 25 lakh for 10-sec slots during India-Pak ICC World Cup tie

     

    By Ravi Teja Sharma & Pritha Mitra Dasgupta

     

    Diehard cricket fans will remember the memorable India-Pakistan battles of the past World Cups. The tense standoff in Bangalore in 1996 when Ajay Jadeja went on a rampage and Venkatesh Prasad showed Aamir Sohail the way to the pavilion after sending his stumps clattering; that glorious Saturday seven years later in Centurion Park when fiery Shoaib Akhtar’s missiles were smacked by Sachin Tendulkar to all parts of the stadium, in the process delivering a huge win for India and a big confidence boost after a demoralising loss to Australia early in the tournament.

     

    This World Cup, the old enemies meet again. Not in the final as many fans would hope for or in the semi-finals like in 2011, but in the opening league match on February 15.

     

    Well ahead of that epic India-Pakistan encounter, a different kind of a battle is being fought behind the scenes. On one side are the advertisers who want to exploit the big viewership numbers that this match promises to deliver, and sitting tight on the other is Star India, the official broadcaster, who wants to milk the match by jacking up the advertising rates.

     

    More than 70 brands, including some regional brands and first-time advertisers, have booked slots for the game, which is 50% more than the count for 2011 World Cup final, said a spokesperson for Star India. At Rs 25 lakh per 10 seconds, this is going to be the most expensive advertising opportunity ever in cricket, but one that not many advertisers would want to miss. The match will see Amitabh Bachchan making his debut as commentator.

     

    Star India had sold the match between the two nations in the 2011 edition – the semi-finals – at Rs 20 lakh per 10 seconds but the final between India and Sri Lanka had come close to Rs 25 lakh per 10 seconds. “From a business and brand perspective, very few events can match the potential of an India-Pakistan match. I can understand paying a premium for this match, but Rs 25 lakh is too steep,” said Basabdatta Chowdhuri, chief executive at Platinum Media, which is part of the Madison Media Group.

     

    Media planners and agencies contest that number. According to them, Star has sold around 75% of its inventory for the India-Pakistan match and about 70% for the entire World Cup so far.

     

    Clearly, Star India is going for the kill, seeking Rs 25 lakh per 10 seconds from those who want to advertise across all its feeds during this match, according to people in the know. But top advertisers and media planners say they would rather wait and watch, as they feel prices will dip closer to the game

     

    Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a senior executive at a large advertiser said there is enough inventory available at the moment and they are waiting for rates, even for the India-Pakistan match, to correct closer to the tournament beginning

     

    A spokesperson for Star India said the ad slots for the match have been sold out much in advance.

     

    “No other game of cricket draws as much passion, emotion and following as an India versus Pakistan World Cup game,” he said.

     

    The channel has packaged the India-Pakistan match in several ways. There are advertisers who have bought combined airtimes across several matches, including the most talked-about match. For them, though, the average airtime rate is working out to between Rs  4.5 lakh and Rs 5 lakh per 10 seconds. Floating inventory for the match, however, have been categorised and priced according to the feeds.

     

    An advertiser that wants all the feeds including English, Hindi, South Indian feeds and high definition will have to pay Rs 25 lakh per 10 seconds. This means an advertising spot of 30-40 seconds would cost anywhere between Rs 75 lakh and Rs 1 crore. If an advertiser wants only English and HD feed, then it will have to pay Rs16-18 lakh per 10 seconds.

     

    “This is by far the highest rate that has ever been charged for a cricket match by a channel and I think it is a huge risk for advertisers,” said a top GroupM official, who didn’t wished to be named.

     

    Another media planner from the Dentsu Aegis Network said it doesn’t make sense for an advertiser to pay this kind of money when there is enough cricket happening in the country with both ICC and IPL matches.

     

    According to Indranil Das Blah, chief operating officer of sports management firm Kwan, this is undoubtedly the most high-profile match of this World Cup. “I don’t know if the ad rates are justified or not, but it can’t get bigger than this and no advertisers would risk missing it,” said Blah.

     

    For the larger World Cup, though, Star has signed up the likes of Sony, Airtel, Gaana.com, Hero and Karbonn as sponsors, alongside Maruti, Nestle, Raymonds, Marico, Pidilite, Yepme-.com and Paytm. To cater to a wider audience, it is broadcasting the tournament in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Bengali alongside Hindi and English that it hopes will bring in a large number of new advertisers to the World Cup as it will become more affordable for smaller advertisers.

     

    But media planners say there is some level of concern around the Indian team’s performance as well and also the timing of the matches, but these concerns will not matter if India begin the World Cup journey with a big win over Pakistan.

     

     

     

  • Carat has also been named as the No 1 media agency across the Asia Pacific region

    R3 ranks Carat the No. 1 media agency in 2014 India Business League

    By A Correspondent

     

    Carat has been named the No. 1 media agency in India in the 2014 New Business League table, published by R3. Conducted across 14 of the Asia Pacific’s leading media agencies, the New Business League is a market-wise monthly tally of the agencies’ new business acquisitions. In India, the tally was conducted across 17 of the region’s leading media agencies.

     

    Ashish Bhasin

    For the record, R3 is a global marketing consultancy, focused on improving the effectiveness and efficiency of marketers and their agencies. Founded in 1972 in the U.S., and 2002 beyond the U.S., it works with eight of the world’s top 20 global marketers. Herein, R3’s methodology for New Business League is a compilation of the most recent data supplied by 26 multinational agencies on a monthly basis. The report is balanced against client estimates, Nielsen ADEX (advertising expenditure), discounted to appropriate levels and then converted to revenue estimates.

     

    Commenting on the announcement, Ashish Bhasin Chairman and CEO South Asia Dentsu Aegis Network said, “This is a very proud moment. Carat has been steadily gaining scale in India and I congratulate Kartik and his team for this achievement. New business is the best indicator of the health and vitality of an agency, and this should give us encouragement that Carat is in a good place across the region.”

     

    Kartik Iyer

    Kartik Iyer, MD India – Carat Media said, “2014 has been a watershed year for Carat in India. Thanks to the great work by the teams and huge support from our network, we have won quite a few very large and important businesses. With a healthy mix of Local and Global pitches, the wins are a result of some great strategic work by the team and outstanding support from our network. We are absolutely delighted by the response received from our clients on the innovative solutions and strategic thinking we presented to them. We look forward to continuing in the winning ways and a great year ahead.”

     

    Also, Carat has been named as the No 1 media agency across the Asia Pacific region. Here, apart from India, the agency has been adjudged as the No 1 media agency in Thailand, Korea, Japan, Hong-Kong and Australia.

     

  • Dentsu Aegis Network has announced the appointment of Harsha Joshi as Executive Vice President – Group Trading

    Harsha Joshi joins Dentsu as VP-Group Trading

    By A Correspondent

     

    Harsha Joshi

    Dentsu Aegis Network today announced the appointment of Harsha Joshi as Executive Vice President – Group Trading. She will report to Ashish Bhasin, Chairman & CEO South Asia – Dentsu Aegis Network.

     

    Ms Joshi has over 23 years of experience in Media Buying & Planning, Branded Content and Media Audit & Advisory. She has been the head of Media Buying at Fulcrum (Mindshare), headed Media Buying at Madison Media for 12 years. She also served as CEO – Media & International at Spatial Access Media Solutions and her last stint was at McKinsey,India as Media Advisory

     

    Commenting on her appointment, Mr Bhasin, Chairman & CEO South Asia – Dentsu Aegis Network said, “The remarkable growth that the Dentsu Aegis Network has had has resulted in our scale growing rapidly. To ensure our clients get the best global practices in the extremely important area of Trading, we decided to invest in a very senior resource. After evaluating several candidates, we were delighted to have Harsha join us. She brings with her unparalled experience in the area of Trading and we will use her expertise across the Dentsu Aegis Network. Trading is our strength and Harsha will help us maintain that edge”.

     

    Excited about the new assignment, Ms Joshi said: “I am truly looking forward to this role. With three strong media agencies, Carat, Vizeum and Dentsu Media in our group, and with so many large local and global clients, I am sure that we will be able to add value to our clients like no other agency can. Their professional & transparent approach, backed by best-in-class people, global tools, learning and systems attracted me to join Dentsu Aegis Network, which is India’s fastest growing advertising and media network for the second year in a row”.

     

  • The Dentsu Aegis Network Digital Council believes that this is a game changing move for the digital agencies in India and will permanently change the digital landscape

    Dentsu Aegis Network Digital Council to raise digital communication standards

    By a correspondent

     

    Dentsu Aegis Network has announced the formation of Digital Council with CEO’s of iProspectCommunicate2, Isobar and Webchutney. The move aims to revolutionize digital communications in India.

     

    Dentsu Aegis Network has emerged as the fastest growing agency group in the digital arena in India, with 500 digital professionals across their three digital specialist companies, Isobar, Webchutney and iProspectCommunicate2, spread across five cities.

     

    Dentsu Aegis Network is a leading international group in India that has market leading tools, skill sets and technology in every aspect of the digital space. iProspect is a leader in Search & Performance, not only in India, but globally too. In India, iProspect acquired Communicate 2 to form iProspectCommunicate2. Isobar is a leading, full-service digital agency in India and part of the global Isobar Network. Webchutney is the most prominent and successful Digital agency in India.

     

    Commenting on the formation of the Dentsu Aegis Network Digital Council, Ashish Bhasin, Chairman & CEO South Asia, Dentsu Aegis Network, said “With Vivek Bhargava, MD – iProspectCommunicate2, Shamsuddin Jasani, MD – Isobar India and Sidharth Rao, CEO & Co-Founder – Webchutney, coming together on the Dentsu Aegis Network Digital Council, we have the country’s best digital leadership, with a proven track record, driving our digital vision. Dentsu Aegis Network has always been a leader in the digital space globally and now we have replicated the same success in India. With 500 digital specialists and the three leading Digital Specialist Companies in India as a part of our group, we are well ahead of the competition in providing world class, comprehensive digital services in India.”

     

    The Dentsu Aegis Network Digital Council believes that this is a game changing move for the digital agencies in India and will permanently change the digital landscape. The Council is committed to raising the Digital Communication standards in India.