MxMIndia

Tag: Dentsu Aegis Network

  • A cross-section of the industry reacts to Nirmala Sitharaman’s maiden Budget

    Industry Reax to Budget 2020-21

     

    A cross-section of the industry reacts to Nirmala Sitharaman’s maiden Budget 

     

    Girish Menon, Partner and Head, Media and Entertainment, KPMG in India

    Although there was no direct reference to the media and entertainment sector in Budget 2020, the focus on improving India’s digital connectivity bodes well for the sector. The Honourable Finance Minister’s announcement that an amount of INR 6,000 crores will be spent on BharatNet initiatives will see more citizens connected to the proposed pan-India FTTH network. Media and entertainment is increasingly becoming a digital medium and an enhancement of the underlying digital communications infrastructure will support more immersive experiences. Finally, the focus on building a vibrant start-up ecosystem with measures to improve access to funding and IP protection will help India emerge as a global hub for technological innovation.

     

     

    Rakesh Jariwala, Partner – International Tax Services, EY India

    Removal of exemption on sale, distribution and exhibition of cinematograph film will subject theatrical revenues to domestic withholding tax considerations and could pose working capital considerations for already funding constrained film industry. Amendment of source taxation rule to include advertising income relating to customer based in India while global consensus is being formed on digital taxation rules may result in short term pain for the foreign businesses which do not have access to a tax treaty. Reduction of withholding tax rate on technical services to 2% will provide relief on potential rate related disputes on production services. Reduction in import duty of news print should help the ailing print businesses. 

     

     

    Ashish Bhasin, CEO, APAC and Chairman, India – Dentsu Aegis Network:

    I think this is a good budget in some ways because it has attempted to put money in the hands of the middle class through rationalisation of tax rates as well as has concentrated on looking after the agricultural sector, including introduction of best practises like storage for producers and other measures. However, I do feel that the expectations from the budget were much more and it does feel like a bit of a missed opportunity.

     

    While it is good to see that the dividend distribution tax has been abolished, I expected more on the rationalisation of direct taxes, particularly the cess introduced over and above the tax rates.

     

    It is good to see efforts being made to encourage new-age skill development as well as helping the start-ups and what’s particularly interesting is the proposal to set up data centre farms all over the country. This will prepare India for the economy of tomorrow. It is also good to see attempts at simplification of taxation through digitisation but the proof of the pudding will lie in seeing its implementation on ground.

     

    It would be fair to say that at best it is a mixed budget and while there are some encouraging decisions, enough does not seem to have been done for the situation the economy is in.

     

     

    Karan Darda, Executive Director, Lokmat Media Group:

    We welcome the proposed reduction in custom duty on import of newsprint and light-weight coated paper. In recent years, newspaper industry has been facing many headwinds and the environment has overall been very challenging. 10% customs duty was introduced last year and that added to the burden. The reduction in customs duty would ease the burden and help the industry in this critical juncture. 

     

     

    Anand Bhadkamkar, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) India:

    The budget has provided relief to middle class with lower tax rates which is a welcome move, as it will provide more liquidity. On direct taxes, the abolition of DDT and introduction of a tax dispute resolution scheme is a welcome step alongside tax reliefs for startups.

     

    The budget is focusing on easing and simplification of compliance, with changes in corporate laws as well as in GST and direct taxes. However, I was expecting further simplification of cess and surcharges beyond tax rates across slabs.

     

    The proposals for development of road infrastructure, setting up data centre parks and skill development initiatives are welcome steps in addition to allocations for social welfare schemes.

     

    However, the expectations from the budget were high on the background of current economic slowdown, and as such seems to be short on matching those expectations, with no specific industry sector focused sops to provide stimulus. While the budget shows focus on long term growth and social development, overall in the current scenario it looks like a mixed budget, falling a bit short of market expectations of more corrective measures.

     

    Gautam Sinha, CEO – Times Internet:

    Budget 2020 is a promising step towards establishing India’s future as an enduring digital economy. The increased focus on improving data connectivity under Bharat Net, steps to boost the smartphone manufacturing industry and the Rs 8,000Cr allocation for the National Mission on Quantum Computing & Technology will help build better digital infrastructure to support this sector’s rapid growth. Finally, deferring tax on ESOPs for startups is also a major move that will help promising startups attract and retain talent that would fuel our burgeoning digital ecosystem.

     

     

    Redickaa Subrammanian, Co-founder and CEO, Resulticks:

    Digital disruption has transformed India’s business landscape and the announcement for building more data centre parks will further aid in laying a strong foundation for a digitally connected country. INR 8000 crore allotment for developing quantum technology is impressive, and this in tandem with the grassroots level skilling initiatives, make for a strong technology ecosystem. Engineering students will also gain real-world experience through the new internship programs, creating a digitally skilled talent pool equipped to work in a digital economy.

     

    As a fast-growing AI and ML based technology start-up, we welcome setting up of the investment clearance cell. The proposed revisions in the income tax structure should lead to increased consumer demand and provide an overall impetus for economic growth in India. The announcement made in Budget 2020 showcases the government’s support for India’s technological advancement and we are excited about the entrepreneurial spirit it promotes.”

     

     

    Prashan Agarwal, CEO – Gaana:

    We appreciate the efforts of the government to boost the digital ecosystem in the country. The increased focus on improving connectivity under the Bharat Net scheme and the emphasis on Artificial Intelligence will allow OTT players to offer bespoke and personalised solutions to consumers. Additionally, the impetus to the smartphone manufacturing industry will make internet consumption accessible to a wider section of Indian society that will expand the scope of revenues for OTT players. The allocation of Rs 8000 crore for setting up the National Mission on Quantum Computing and Technology will also boost the development of the industry by making resources cost-effective.

     

     

    Mitesh Shah, Head of Finance, BookMyShow: 

    At the onset, we would like to laud Government for growth driven budget. We welcome the progressive policies aimed at encouraging rural demand, changes in personal taxes spurring consumption and impetus to infrastructure development, measures aimed at bolstering growth and reverse slowdown. Additionally, taxation related on ESOPs as perquisite and removal of DDT are significant moves. However, the benefits of taxation relief on ESOP should be expanded to companies at various stage of growth.

     

    Compliance on e-commerce has been increased by mandating them to deduct TDS @1% on all goods and services sold on e-commerce platforms. This would be in addition to TCS under GST and this amendment might further increase the cost of compliance for e-Commerce companies. Government’s vision to build data centre parks, allocation towards quantum computing and its focus on using artificial intelligence in statistical and other government departments will take India’s growth story to the next level.

     

    Increase in compliance on e-commerce by mandating deduction of TDS @1% on all goods and services sold on e-commerce platforms. This would be in addition to TCS under GST and this amendment might further increase the cost of compliance for E-Commerce companies. Government’s vision and focus on investing in new age technologies to build data centre parks, allocation towards quantum computing and its focus on using artificial intelligence in statistical and other government departments will certainly give an impetus to ‘Digital India’.

     

     

    Kunal Bahl, CEO & Co-founder, Snapdeal:

    Thankful to the Hon’ble FM for accepting the start-up sector’s request for ESOP taxation reforms. Also, the higher time & turnover limits for carry forward of losses for start-ups will enable them to optimize growth decisions in formative years.

     

    Overall, Budget 2020 is a thoughtful weaving together of specific proposals to tackle varied issues. Measures to improve access to finance for MSMEs and reduced taxation for the middle-income segment are welcome steps. Boosting physical infrastructure, expanding digital connectivity and growing use of technology in government functioning are important building blocks for the long-term growth of the Indian economy.

     

  • The digital campaign #RightToColour aims to promote equality by making everyone able to experience colours the same way

    Panasonic Lumix empowers colourblind photographers in latest ad film

    By A Correspondent

     

    On Republic Day, Panasonic Lumix and Dentsu Aegis Network empowered colourblind photographers with the #RightToColour through a specially designed viewfinder lens that helps to saturate and balance colour. Bringing the gift of colour, the digital campaign #RightToColour aims to promote equality by making everyone able to experience colours the same way.

     

    Talking about the campaign, Shirish Agarwal, Head, Brand and Marketing Communications, Panasonic India said: “Nearly 8 per cent of people in India suffer from some degree of colour-blindness, there only dream is to be able to see the world as we all see it. Through this campaign we wanted to bring alive the spirit of Republic Day by enabling those affected with the right to colours. Technology has always been at the core of our business and #RightToColour serves as a remarkable example of how innovative solutions can improve the lives of our customers.”

     

    Added Haresh Nayak, Managing Director, C Lab: “At C Lab we believe in creating solutions that enhance a consumers’ experience and subsequently, their lives. This builds brand advocacy and loyalty. Every time we work on a project we are enthralled to see how technology is bringing solutions that one could only dream of. Our effort to bring colour back into the lives of colour blind photographers is an example of what technology can do.”

     

     

  • Digital media is expected to cross the Rs 50k crore mark by end-2025

    10 Takeaways from DAN Digital Report 2020

     

    The headline was digital media is expected to cross the Rs 50k crore mark by end-2025. But, then, there was a lot more in the report. Here are key highlights and takeaways:

     

     

    Anand Bhadkamkar, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network India: “2019 was a challenging year for the Indian advertising industry as well. With the economic slowdown, advertisers decided to cut back on spends, consumers decided to wait-and-watch, market sentiments reached a new low and India’s Ad Expenditure (AdEx) witnessed a consequential fall. But even in the midst of it all, digital continued to grow. Digital is a masterstroke in advertising and Dentsu Aegis Network recognizes this strength. We also recognize the need for an industry level report that can give directions toward which this industry is moving. While with every new edition, the DAN Digital report has been upping its rank in quality, range and comprehensiveness, we welcome sincere feedback and inputs from the entire industry to help establish a robust eco-system for this fast growing and increasingly important industry channel, so that all of us can progress together!”

    Ashish Bhasin, CEO, APAC and Chairman, India – Dentsu Aegis Network: “The Media and Advertising industry is shifting at a rapid speed and Digital is certainly taking charge. Consumers are leaving behind huge digital footprints and there is a lot more emphasis on managing data and developing martech capabilities, now. 2020 is expected to witness a major change in advertising in India, with digital becoming a bigger medium. In fact, by 2021, it’s growth should surpass that of print. Yet, despite this progressive swing, the industry has failed to come together to agree upon a common measurement metric for digital. As leaders in digital, Dentsu Aegis Network today stands at the forefront of this evolution and understands the need to have more information on Digital. The DAN Digital report, now in its fourth edition, is exhaustive, systematic, thorough and meets this need gap brilliantly. The report has now become the most credible source of information when it comes to digital in India.”

     

    1. The Indian advertising industry has grown at a rate of 9.4% over 2018 to reach Rs. 68,475 Crore by the end of 2019. The industry will grow by 10.9% to reach Rs. 75,952 Crore by the end of 2020. It is expected to grow at 11.83% CAGR to reach a market size of Rs. 1,33,921 Crore by 2025.

    2. By the end of 2019 the digital advertising industry stands at Rs. 13,683 Crore, up at a rate of 26% from Rs. 10,859 Crore in 2018. It is expected to grow at 27% to reach Rs. 17,377 Crore by the end of 2020.

    3. Advertising spends on Digital media is expected to grow at a CAGR of 27.42% to cross the Rs. 50,000 Crore mark and reach an industry size of Rs. 58,550 Crore by the end of 2025. This sustained growth can be attributed to the technological advancements, improvements in data science & analytics, introduction of policies & regulations among others.

    4. Television takes the largest share of media spends at 39% (Rs. 26,869 Crore) followed by print media (29%, Rs. 20,110 Crore) and Digital Media (20%, Rs. 13,683 Crore). In the year 2020, spends on Television media is expected to grow at 10% and its share will remain steady while that on Print media is expected to grow at 3% with this share declining to 27%.

    5. Across various industry verticals, FMCG sector spends the highest by contributing 30% (Rs. 20,182 Crore) to the advertising industry. Next to FMCG stands with 10% contribution by E-commerce (Rs. 6,915 Crore) followed by Automotive sector (8%, Rs. 5,797 Crore).

    6. Among the various industry segments, FMCG has the highest expenditure on advertising i.e. 30% (Rs. 20,182 Crore) followed by E-commerce (10%) and Automotive segment. FMCG spends a large majority of their advertising budget on television (61%) while Retail, Automotive and Retail spend a large share of their advertising budget on Print. The biggest spenders on digital media are BFSI (42%), Consumer Durables (38%) and E-commerce (37%).

    7. Advertising spends on Digital Media is led by Social media with the highest share of 28%, contributing Rs. 3,835 Crore to the Indian digital advertising pie. This is followed by spends on Paid search (23%), Online Video (22%) and Display media (21%). Display media, online video and social media are expected to have the fastest growth in 2020. The share of paid search is expected to reduce from 25% to 23% by the end of 2020.

    8. FMCG segment spends a large share of their digital media budget on online video (36%), while E-commerce, consumer durables spend a mostly on paid search and social media.

    9. By 2020, advertising spends on Mobile devices is expected to grow by 41% to have a share of 52% to the digital advertising market, overtaking spends share on Desktop. Furthermore, the expected spends on mobile devices will reach a share of 64% by 2022.

    10. Advancements in marketing technologies and subsequent fusion with marketing creativity, along with the advent of 5G technology and increased adoption of E-commerce advertising will lead to the evolution of content for the next 500 million Internet users, thereby catapulting the digital media industry towards the Rs. 50,000 Crore milestone by the year 2025.

     

     

  • Rao will continue to report into Anand Bhadkamkar, CEO, DAN India

    DAN elevates Sidharth Rao to Chairman, Happy Mcgarrybowen and Dentsu Webchutney

    By  A Correspondent

     

    Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) India has announced the elevation of Sidharth Rao as Chairman, Happy mcgarrybowen (HMB) India and Chairman, Dentsu Webchutney.

     

    With this, Rao, earlier CEO, Dentsu Webchutney, has expanded his role and responsibilities within the network. Notes a communique: The announcement also reinforces DAN’s legacy to retain all its agency founders who chose to partner and participate with the network through various strategic acquisitions.

     

    Rao will continue to report into Anand Bhadkamkar, CEO, DAN India. He will work with Samarjit Choudhry, President, HMB India to accentuate the agency’s brand legacy in India even as he continues to oversee Dentsu Webchutney’s consistent performance and expansion across the country and beyond.

     

    Commenting on the appointment, Bhadkamkar said: “Sidharth’s journey with Dentsu Webchutney is one of the most iconic stories of modern Indian advertising. It has been a joy to watch Dentsu Webchutney grow the way it has in the last six years. Considered to be one of the best digital agencies of the country today, Dentsu Webchutney is now also one of the finest creative agencies in the business. Sidharth is already an integral part of DAN India’s key leadership team and, as we strengthen our digital and creative credentials, I am delighted to have him take up this additional new mandate with Happy mcgarrybowen.”

    Added Rao: “I am extremely honoured to take up this new responsibility. My first 20 years in advertising has been a ride; and now I’m looking forward to the next 20 with our wonderful teams at Dentsu Webchutney, HMB and the rest of the DAN family. HMB is a fantastic brand that comes with a great legacy. With the support of DAN, the Happy team in India and mcgarrybowen internationally, I am certain that our golden days are ahead of us.”

  • The MxMIndia Mediaperson of the Year 2019 will be announced on December 20, 2019

    8 Days to Go!

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Yes, the day is drawing closer. Just eight months to go for the 2019 MxMIndia Mediaperson of the Year award. The selection process has been done. We have had five rounds of shortlisting and now are waiting to see if a new star emerges over the next few days.

     

    As MxMIndia readers are aware, over the last few years, the MxMIndia Mediaperson of the Year has earned the reputation of being one of the more credible barometers of the highest performer(s) in the fields of advertising, media and marketing in a calendar year.

     

    Last year’s winner of the accolade was Piyush Pandey on his rise and rise in the global creative world. In 2017, it was Arnab Goswami for the launch of Republic TV. In 2016, we had Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia CEO Ashish Bhasin and for 2015 it was the BARC India core team of Punit Goenka, Shashi Sinha and Partho Dasgupta.

     

    Any guesses on who it will be this year? Wait for it. 10.20am. Friday, December 20, 2019

     

  • It is a proprietary brand-audience perception analysis engine

    DAN Data Sciences launches ‘Dentsu BrandSense’

    By A Correspondent

     

    In an effort to offer clients data driven solutions, the Data Sciences division of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) India, has announced the launch of ‘Dentsu BrandSense’ – a proprietary brand-audience perception analysis engine.

     

    Commenting on the launch, Rajiv Dingra, CEO & Founder, WATConsult said: “Targeting people based not just on their explicitly stated preferences or past behavioral trends, but on their underlying psychological make-up has been a long-needed solution for brands to connect with their audiences. With the Dentsu BrandSense tool from the DAN Data Lab factory, this is a leap forward in a true data driven way for brands to understand the make-up of their audiences in much more depth to generate content that better resonates with a brand audience.”

     

    Notes a communique: “This proprietary brand-audience analysis engine will be housed under the audience insights engine of Dentsu Aegis Network – DAN Explore. It will have two key components – first, analyzing a brand’s communication on social media and marketing channels (Dentsu BrandSense), and second, analyzing how audiences respond to those brand communication channels (Dentsu AudienceSense).”

     

    Added Gautam Mehra, CEO, DAN Programmatic & Chief Data Officer, DAN – South Asia: “With Dentsu BrandSense, we aim to bring Behavioural Sciences and Personality Science to the forefront of marketing efforts. Equipped with not just proprietary machine learning models, this engine will be equipped with intelligence from industry leading personality algorithms such as the likes of IBM Watson, Google NLU and Azure Text Analytics APIs. The idea is to go beyond finding correlations between behaviour and audience preferences to now adding a personality dimension to improve marketing effectiveness and enhance audience motivation,”

     

     

  • He was last with Dentsu Aegis Network where he was elevated to the position of Group Head- Media and was handling clients like Adidas, Reebok, Philips and Apple

    Mayank Jain is Chief Product Officer of ‘Shortpedia’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Mayank Jain has joined Shortpedia, a technology-driven short news content provider as its Chief Product Officer. He will be responsible for the company’s product innovations and drive revenue at the same time. Jain’s last stint was with Dentsu Aegis Network where he was elevated to the position of Group Head- Media and was handling clients like Adidas, Reebok, Philips and Apple.

     

    Said Jain:  “I’m extremely excited to take on this role. Content is a very interesting space and sky is the limit. In this world of clutter it is difficult to find credible and authentic information; we at Shortpedia are absolutely committed towards authenticity while evolving everyday to cater to our dynamic audiences. We are driving at fresh handpicked content, clutter free environment and a phenomenal user experience. Much like our audience, we are a very restless team so we are continuously experimenting and evolving. We have already successfully added audio news to every news item that goes up. Apart from the listening feature we have also deployed AI to understand content consumption behaviour and programmatic enabled advertising. It’s a lean team so there has been no breathing space since I have joined which I’m thoroughly enjoying”.

     

    Added Amarjeet Singh, Mobile Head, Shortpedia: “I have known Mayank for a while and witnessed his growth as a professional. I personally feel that Shortpedia is the right platform for a professional like him. His understanding of the digital space is enviable, and we are very glad to have him onboard.”

     

     

  • In her new role, she will report to CEO Anand Bhadkamkar and David Neal, CFO Greater South – Dentsu Aegis Network

    GroupM’s Asha Suvarna joins DAN as CFO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Asha Suvarna

    Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN), the global media & marketing communications conglomerate, has appointed Asha Suvarna as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO), India. Prior to this, the role was held by erstwhile COO and CFO Anand Bhadkamkar who was promoted to lead the country operations as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) last month.

     

    Armed with more than 20 years of experience in media and advertising, Suvarana is also a qualified Chartered Accountant (CA). She joins DAN India from GroupM where she held numerous roles over two decades, the last being Finance Director.

     

    Suvarna take charge of her new office today (October 16). In her new role, she will report to Bhadkamkar and David Neal, CFO Greater South – Dentsu Aegis Network.

     

    Anand Bhadkamkar

    Commenting on Asha’s appointment, Bhadkamkar said: “I am pleased to announce Asha’s appointment as CFO of the Group in India. Asha brings with her considerable experience in our industry as well as a very strong understanding of our business. With her financial acumen and leadership capabilities, I am sure Asha will be a great addition to the DAN India executive team and a critical strategic business partner in these transformational times.”

     

    Commenting on her new role, Suvarna added: “Home to 23 super-successful agency brands of the country, Dentsu Aegis Network today is undoubtedly the fastest growing network in India. I am extremely honoured and happy to take up this new role and now ready to embark upon this new challenge under DAN’s strong One P&L philosophy.”

     

     

  • The new office will house DAN brands

    Dentsu Aegis moves into new office in Kochi

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dentsu Aegis Network has expanded its footprint in Kochi with a new office in Jawahar Nagar. The new office will house DAN brands like Dentsu India, Carat, Posterscope, Perfect Relations, Vizeum, Fountainhead MKTG and Milestone.

     

    Commenting on the move, Anand Bhadkamkar, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network India said: “This is a great move for us considering we are rapidly growing our client roster in southern markets. The advertising potential in Southern markets has seen exponential growth over the last few years. This move is in line with our strategy of collocating our brands and employees in a single premises. With various DAN brands now in the same office space in Kochi as well, we are ready to offer holistic solutions to our existing and prospective clients.”

     

     

  • This is the network’s second buy in 2019. But there’s more coming, we hear

    Havas on shopping spree. Buys Langoor

    L to R – Venugopal Ganganna, Chief Executive Officer, Langoor, Ruchir Punjabi, Founder & Chair, Langoor, Vishnu Mohan, Chairman & CEO, Havas India & South East Asia, Bobby Pawar, Chairman & CCO, Havas Group India, Girisha Gowda, Chief Operations Officer, Langoor, Kishore Karumbaiah, Chief Creative Officer, Langoor and Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas Group India

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    When the Havas group announced the ‘acquisition’ of two veteran industry persons last year, it was clear that it had huge plans for India. After Rana Barua and later Bobby Pawar joined to helm the group in the country, the message sent out was that the advertising agency-led conglomerate is not going to sit pretty on its existing lines of business.

     

    If it were to match the big girls or boys in the business, it had to broadbase its line of businesses. The Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) experiment in India had been a huge success. Acquire, Grow and Shine.

     

    In May this year, Havas gobbled up Think Design, a strong player in user experience and design advisory in India. And today (September 18), it announced the acquisition of Langoor, an eight-year-old tech-led independent agency with presence across India, the Middle East and Australia. The deal size has not been disclosed.

     

    With a team size of 170 people, Langoor has earned its stripes as an agency that’s not in the mould of a typical digital advertising agency. It’s driven by technology, and it’s hence different from many others.

     

    Langoor will be rebranded Langoor Havas and be led by its co-founder – Venugopal Ganganna – who will take on the newly-created position of Chief Digital Officer, Havas Group India, reporting to Barua who is Group CEO, Havas Group India. Langoor Havas will have three key focus areas – health, business and vernacular – and will expand these services to markets outside of India in the coming months. The deal itself took over a year to fructify and was inked earlier this month.

     

    The agency has been growing 30 per cent and some of its key clients include Unilever, Fossil, Wipro, Emami, Epson, Adobe, Infosys, Moneygram among others.

     

    While an exponential growh new business continues to be something that Havas in India is seeking to fructify, according to industry and Havas insiders, the inorganic DAN-like growth path is clearly on the agenda: there are many domains that are still need Havas’s presence. For instance, activations, public relations/communications and perhaps more in digital. The appetite is to acquire another four to five agencies, an executive told us requesting anonymity.

     

    To a pointed question from MxMIndia, a Havas spokesperson said: “Our acquisition approach is distinctively not a multiplier approach but one of relevant expertise building. You will be hearing from us soon on the acquisition front, in line with this approach.”

     

    A communique was issued by the group bearing the following statements:

    Yannick Bolloré, Chairman and CEO Havas Group: “Digital business is booming in India and bringing Langoor on board is an important new step to further strengthening our digital skills locally. Through their unique blend of data, creativity and technology, Langoor enables brands to engage their customers meaningfully and drive growth. Earlier this year, we acquired the leader in user experience and digital design in India, Think Design, making Langoor our second acquisition in the country in 2019. The combined expertise of Think Design and Langoor boost Havas’ digital offer in the world’s fastest growing ad market. India continues to be a priority for the Group, we aim to triple our presence there by the end of 2019 and have put in place a solid new management team to lead this expansion.”

     

    Vishnu Mohan, Chairman & CEO, Havas Group India & South East Asia: “The acquisition of Langoor complements our aggressive growth strategy that we started last year with the creation of Havas Village India that brought together different disciplines under a unified, client-centric leadership structure. Langoor adds an enviable strength to Havas Group with its distinctive approach of Creative Technologists who challenge marketing every day with their expertise in balancing, data, technology, strategic thinking and the power of creative.”

     

    Rana Barua, CEO, Havas Group India: “The Langoor acquisition also demonstrates Havas Group’s commitment to expand its scale and expertise in India with a focus on exponential growth, new business momentum, and building & leading future-ready teams. The acquisition will reinforce our integrated offering and digital expertise in India and complement our existing capabilities.”

     

    Ruchir Punjabi & Venu Ganganna, co-founders of Langoor: “We pride ourselves in having created an agency focused on digital brand thinking – which is the future. The integration with Havas Group will add scale to the depth of our services and help us to grow even further. This acquisition is an incredible opportunity for Langoor and the team and we are excited to be part of this new journey towards further success.”

     

  • He will continue as Chairman of India operations even as Anand Bhadkamkar takes charge as CEO, DAN India

    Meet Ashish Bhasin, CEO of Denstu Aegis Network APAC

     

    At mid-afternoon on Thursday, in a cool, rainy climes of Khandala near Mumbai, the top deck of the Dentsu Aegis Network had gathered. While they had seen the rise of the Network in India, the announcement was perhaps the best recognition of their work in the last decade-odd. Their leader – Ashish Bhasin – had been appointed CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network APAC. And APAC included the key markets of China, Australia and New Zealand. He will will join big boss Tim Andree’s Global Executive Team, the first and only Indian to occupy the chair. Bhasin will continue to maintain his role as Chairman, Dentsu Aegis Network India. Meanwhile, Anand Bhadkamkar, COO India and CFO South Asia, has been promoted to CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network India. He will report to Bhasin, as earlier.

    Bhasin, who was MxMIndia Mediaperson of the Year in 2016, spoke with us over the phone from Khandala. While the clouds were out there in the Western Ghats as also in Mumbai where we are located, the sun was shining very brightly for Bhasin and the Indian advertising industry.

    Read on…

     

    Congratulations. Your elevation as CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network Asia Pacific is huge. Your sentiment as you move on to Singapore to take on the role?

    Thank you. If the company trusts you with a bigger responsibility, it obviously makes you feel good. First off, I feel it is actually credit to the fantastic team we’ve had pan-India. This has been a dream run of sorts. We started with 40-50 people and today we are almost 3700-3800 people. At a time when everybody is struggling, the markets have slowed down, etc, we have continuously been the fastest growing group in India for maybe five years in a row. It feels good because all of that is in some way recognising India’s performance and from India’s point of view, I think it is a nice reflection on the team and on the country.

     

    If you have to look back, what would you say would be the single biggest achievement since you helmed DAN in India?

    I think two things: One is that I was very lucky that I was able to build and retain a fantastic leadership team. If you look at the senior leadership of Dentsu Aegis Network, while the turnover rate is very high in India, in the last 11 years ever since we started this journey, not one single leader at the senior level has left us. Everybody who has been with us, and who we wanted in our team, was in our team 11 years ago and is today in our team too. In fact more got added as time went by. I think building that cohesive world class leadership team is something that I will always be proud of and I will always rate it as one of the best things that we managed to do.

    The other thing was taking this call on digital – to invest in digital in a big way. In India, no one else was looking at it and in many ways because of that we got a huge head-start over our competition. Of course eventually everybody is trying to play catch up and will do so over a period of time but that gave us market leadership. Digital was the fastest growing part in the advertising industry…

     

    Acquisitions have been a significant feature of your tenure, right?

    Yes, of course. That has been an integral part of my strategy. I’ve always said 50% of my growth should be organic and 50% should come from acquisitions because acquisitions are only about money. They also bring in fresh talent. Some of the best talent in the country whom we would never have been able to hire as employees, but we were able to bring into our group thanks to the acquisitions.

     

    And you have been able to retain them..

    People like Vivek Bhargava as an example.

     

    Right.

    So these are all very senior leaders and have finished their earnouts and have done very well in life, and they still continue to run their companies  many years after that exactly the way they used to right from the first day when they started,

     

    And Aggie (Agnello Dias) and Paddy (Santosh Padhi)

    Yes, and Aggie and Paddy. We managed to create an environment where we give our leaders enough space, One thing that people forget is that for an entrepreneur, it’s more than just money. Money is very important but it is your baby… it’s your life, right? Nobody can run Taproot better than Aggie and Paddy, nobody can run Communicate 2 better than Vivek, nobody can run Sokrati better than…

    True.

    And so on and so forth. So, we allowed them that, but the challenge is the need to align people as a group because we are now 23 different agencies all moving in same direction. I think we achieved that pretty well and I am very proud of the fact that even after their earnouts are over, all these fantastic leaders continue to run their businesses even more successfully than they did when they were standalone entrepreneurs.

     

    Is there something that you would’ve possibly liked to have happened differently?

    Yes, I think, it is quite clear to me now that we were significantly better than our competition. We were way ahead because even though our competition was well-established, very big, etc, we still managed to beat the hell out of them and gain huge marketshare. I think I could have been a lot more aggressive…  I should have been even more aggressive because we were really faced by very weak competitors who were still caught in a legacy world and who missed this digital revolution. We grew very fast, maybe we should have grown even faster.

     

    Since your move as APAC head requires a relocation to Singapore even though you continue to be chairman of India, how much time will spend here in India?

    I am doing the Greater South role already and I am travelling a helluva lot.

     

    But this has a bigger footprint.

    So, there won’t be any significant change in the number of days that I am spending in India. I do intend to spend at least a week every month here. I will be retaining my office in India and I will be actively involved in India. But I will be much less involved in the running of day-to-day operations which now we have a new CEO in the form of Anand (Bhadkamkar) who has been involved in this journey from Day 1.

    So I am not going away. I am not leaving, in fact I will probably spend as much time in India as I am currently. I am travelling 15-20 days in a month. Given that it’s a region as large as APAC with countries from Australia, New Zealand on one end, and China to Taiwan, Korea, South East Asia, etc. and because our regional center is there, Singapore is the most appropriate place to do that.

     

    Anything that you hope to achieve immediately as Densu APAC CEO?

    There are some inherent advantages we have as a group. We can bring all market communication services to the client, so one P/L which was very instrumental in our success in India. And then there is our approach to be digitally ahead. I see no reason why we can’t do this very, very well in every single country.

     

    Back home, you’ve just taken charge of your second year as President of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI). Are you going to continue with that?

    Well, coincidentally we also have our Board meet on Friday. So I will definitely inform my EC (Executive Committee) about the change. And I will go by whatever they decide – whether they would want me to continue my term or not.

     

    The Announcement:

    Dentsu Aegis Network today announces the appointment of Ashish Bhasin, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network Greater South into the newly created role of CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network, APAC, effective immediately. Based in Singapore, he joins the Dentsu Aegis Network Global Executive team and will report into Takaki Hibino, Executive Chairman, Dentsu Aegis Network APAC. Takaki’s role as Executive Chairman, APAC remains the same.

    This move further cements the recently announced Cluster Structure; Greater North, Greater South and ANZ in APAC, giving the markets and their leadership teams greater focus on identifying and moving into key growth opportunities. Ashish will focus on accelerating this growth while delivering greater operational rigor and leadership excellence across the region. These changes reflect evolving market dynamics across the region, mitigating the disruption that new entrants, shifting consumer demands and technological evolution creates by focusing on delivering long-term, sustainable growth for our clients. Ashish will maintain his role as Chairman, Dentsu Aegis Network India.

    Commenting on Ashish’s elevation, Takaki Hibino, Executive Chairman, Dentsu Aegis Network APAC said: “Ashish’s appointment is critical for the region; enabling the markets to focus on client needs and growth opportunities while delivering operational rigor for the business. He was a clear candidate from the start with a proven track record of delivering long-term and consistent growth. Under his leadership, the business in India is now the second largest Advertising & Media organisation by revenue in the market. His long-term vision coupled with his acumen for identifying an opportunity is one of the best in the business, and I am delighted he will join me in leading the business in APAC.”

    Ashish Bhasin, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network APAC commented: “I am thrilled to be taking on this new role within the APAC region. There is never a more exciting time to be in this business; our competitive landscape is becoming more complex and fragmented while our clients are crying out for long-term vision and simplicity. We have to keep their needs as our North Star whilst delivering long-term, sustainable growth for our business. We are in a unique position to build propositions around our client needs, and I look forward to this next chapter in the transformation journey of this region.”

    Anand Bhadkamkar

    In India, Anand Bhadkamkar, erstwhile COO India & CFO South Asia, has now been promoted to CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network India. Anand will continue to report to Ashish Bhasin in his new role.

    Anand Bhadkamkar, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network India commented: “I am extremely excited and honoured to take on this new responsibility. I look forward to embarking upon a new chapter in my career and work with Ashish as the Chairman of India to continue building DAN into the country’s most innovative, future-proofed market-leading network. Our One P&L philosophy and our leadership status in Digital sets us up in the best position versus our competitors.”

    In addition, Masaya Nakamura, Deputy Chairman & Chief Growth Officer, APAC has taken a new role as CEO, Global Solutions, Dentsu Aegis Network, based in Tokyo. Prakash Kamdar, CEO, Isobar Singapore has been promoted to CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network Singapore.

  • Pawar took over from from Ashish Bhasin, CEO – Greater South and Chairman & CEO – India, Dentsu Aegis Network

    Pratap Pawar is MRUC chairman for 2019-21, Shashi Sinha is vice-chair

    By A Correspondent

     

    Shashi Sinha

    It may have been raining cats and dogs in the rest of the city, but Media Research Users Council (MRUC) held its Annual General Meeting and unanimously elected Pratap Pawar, Chairman of Sakal Media Group as its new Chairman, and Shashi Sinha, CEO, IPG Mediabrands as its Vice Chairman. The announcement was made at the MRUC’s Board meeting following the 25th Annual General Meeting. Pawar took over from from Ashish Bhasin, CEO – Greater South and Chairman & CEO – India, Dentsu Aegis Network.

     

    Pratap Pawar

    Said Pawar while thanking the MRUC Board: “I thank Ashish Bhasin for his immense contribution to the growth of the Council and the IRS in particular. I assure the stakeholders of MRUC that together we will indeed take IRS to new heights and provide the industry with a more robust, reliable and accurate study. We will continue with our all-inclusive and democratic approach to address industry concerns and provide acceptable solutions which will help the industry make effective business decisions.”

     

    Ashish Bhasin

    Added Bhasin: “It was indeed an honour and privilege to helm such an august body of industry stalwarts over the past couple of years. There were challenges MRUC was faced with when I took over, with the existence of the IRS study itself being questioned, having been out of the market for almost four years. From there to today – where, not only is the IRS back on track with quarterly updates, butis now universally accepted as the currency for print – it has been an incredible journey.I truly appreciate the support of the MRUC Board as well as key industry stakeholders who helped us restore the IRS to its past glory. I am confident that Pratap Pawar will take the IRS and MRUC to even greater heights. My best wishes to him and the new Board members.”