Dentsu Webchutney, Dentsu India’s digital creative agency, has won the digital mandate for the new age fintech brand, Uni Cards.
Gautam Reghunath
Commenting on the win, Gautam Reghunath, CEO, Dentsu Webchutney said: “We are in the era of fintech, which has proven to be the great equalizer in a short time. India has millions and millions of credit-eligible consumers waiting for unique, tailored financial solutions. Uni Cards is leading innovation here, and along with them, we are on a quest to redefine how credit is consumed in India.”
Nitin Gupta
Added Nitin Gupta, Founder & CEO, Uni Cards: “Uni is set to disrupt the credit industry by innovating and making extremely customer-centric products. As a creative agency is known to successfully mold brands with iconic ideas, it was a no-brainer to partner with the best in business. It is the beginning of a long and exciting road for us at Uni Cards, and we are glad to partner with a team that has a nuanced understanding of the category that can lead us into long-term success.”
Sidharth Rao
Said Sidharth Rao, CEO, DentsuMB Group India commented, “This is an exciting win for all of DentsuMB Group. We want to bring the best creative minds from across Dentsu and Webchutney to create memorable work in this very interesting category. Our teams have only just begun working together with Uni Cards and we can already feel their incredible passion for innovating for India and building products that will boost the country’s credit industry.”
WatConsult, the digital agency from the Isobar India group, has elevated Sahil Shah, erstwhile Chief Business Officer (CBO), to the role of Managing Partner.
In his new role, Shah will continue to report into Heeru Dingra, CEO, Isobar India group, and will spearhead the agency operations. He will also be responsible for bringing in new business for the agency.
Sahil Shah
Speaking on his new role, Sahil Shah, Managing Partner, WatConsult said: “After spending a decade and more in building this agency, my heart fills with pride as I watch it grow stronger each day. The digital landscape has certainly evolved and the teams at WatConsult have kept pace with this change by delivering some path-breaking campaigns. As we move towards our next phase of growth as a network, my team and I look forward to taking on this new journey with power and gusto.”
Heeru Dingra
Commenting on Shah’s elevation, Dingra said, “Sahil is one of our strongest assets. His expertise in managing clients and the team is commendable. A great team leader, Sahil, along with the talented workforce at WATConsult, will continue to bring in new creativity to ensure persistent growth of clients. Together, and as a network, we are ready to explore a new pathway to our future.”
Dentsu India has put its Digital, Experiential and PR capabilities under the Isobar India group. This means that Isobar India, WatConsult, and PR agency Perfect Relations will be under this head. Heeru Dingra, Chief Executive Officer of WatConsult, will lead the group as its CEO, reporting into Amit Wadhwa, CEO, Dentsu Creative India.
Jean Lin
Said Jean Lin, Global CEO, Creative and Executive Officer, Dentsu Group Inc: “Strategically, India is one of our largest and most important markets for Isobar. Heeru joined us through the acquisition of WatConsult and has gone from strength to strength, cultivating a culture of creativity and innovation. Heeru will strengthen Isobar’s growth story, bringing together the best specialists from different creative disciplines to create the next wave of transformative experiences for our clients and in turn, accelerate our brands into the Dentsu India 2.0 vision. I am certain that with Heeru at its helm, the Isobar India group will continue to grow and deliver excellence for our clients.”
Amit Wadhwa
Added Wadhwa: “Heeru’s appointment to lead the Isobar group as its Country CEO takes the Dentsu India 2.0 journey a notch up. The decision is also in alignment with our global ambition of transforming into the most integrated network by 2024. We aim to deliver the best of our offerings to clients with pathbreaking ideas and solution-led strategies, making our headway into excellence.”
Said Dingra: “The Isobar India group houses some of the best agency teams in the country…and I feel humbled to lead this brilliant bunch. As I take this new leap, my aim is to offer world-class integrated services and top-notch expertise that bring value to our current and future clients. People and creativity are at the core of our business, and I assure our clients will only be served with the industry’s best.”
It’s official. CEO Anand Bhadkamkar has quit Dentsu India. It’s his last day today (August 31).
Ashish Bhasin, CEO, APAC and Chairman India, and Peter Huijboom, Global CEO, Media and Global Clients will assume interim, day-to-day leadership of Dentsu India while the business completes its search for a successor to Bhadkamkar, who leaves Dentsu today (August 31). Bhadkamkar, who had been a longstanding CFO of the network, had been given additional charge of Chief Operating Officer – India in April 2019. He was elevated to the position of CEO in September 2019.
Notes a statement issued by Dentsu:
“To stay ahead of the growth opportunities and potential we see for our clients and our teams we are moving forward into Dentsu India 2.0. This is crucial to realising our global ambition of becoming the most integrated network in the world. In the last year, and despite the pandemic, we have started to optimise our portfolio of brands into six global leadership brands, making us more agile and simpler for our clients to access our world-class capabilities and talents. To accelerate this transformation, Ashish Bhasin, CEO, APAC and Chairman India, and Peter Huijboom, Global CEO, Media and Global Clients will assume interim, day-to-day leadership of Dentsu India while the business completes its search for a successor to Anand Bhadkamkar, who leaves Dentsu on August 31.
“With this new structure, we are well positioned to unlock higher levels of business performance, innovation, and solution-led strategies for our people and for our clients. Our ambitions and goals are interconnected, and this is the beginning of dentsu India 2.0’s new and transformed path to success.”
Dentsu X, the media agency from the house of Dentsu India, has won the integrated media mandate for MyGlamm, beauty product company. As per the mandate, Dentsu X by designing and deploying an omnichannel media strategy.
Apratim Majumder
Commenting on the win, Apratim Majumder, Chief Marketing Officer, MyGlamm said: “Dentsu X was highly recommended to us, and to our delight, in a very short period, we have discovered exactly why! Their strategic thinking, experience, speed-to-market products, and efficiencies have completely impressed us. Partnering with them on our go-to-market strategy is reassuring, given their data-driven clear-thinking and inventive approach in meeting consumer and company goals.”
Divya Karani
Added Divya Karani, CEO, Dentsu Media South Asia and CEO, Dentsu X India: “We obsess over driving value and delivering the committed outcomes to all our clients’ businesses. Recognition and acknowledgement for our services are invaluable! We are delighted to partner with MyGlamm and move from pillar to strength.”
Following the restructure of its creative and media businesses in India, Dentsu has now announced the launch of a unified Merkle-led CXM proposition in the market. The announcement brings together Data Transformation, Digital Transformation, and CX Consulting into one unit to create the most specialised CX practice in India under brand Merkle.
Part of the network’s global organisational redesign, the Dentsu India CXM business will now house the agencies – Sokrati, Fractal Ink Design Studio and Merkle B2B, under one umbrella. Anubhav Sonthalia will lead Dentsu CXM in India as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in addition to serving his current role as CEO, Sokrati. He will continue to report into Anand Bhadkamkar, CEO, Dentsu India, and Z Shen, CEO, dentsu CXM, APAC.
Anand Bhadkamkar
Speaking on the launch, Bhadkamkar said: “Keeping up with our #onedentsu strategy, the new CXM business will help us move closer towards our growth journey. CXM is growing rapidly, and it is soon expected to become 35% of our overall business in India. By 2025, we project that this growing field will have a 50% contribution to our business. With this new CXM line of business, our clients will see a host of benefits as it will be a one-stop solution for all their CXM needs. I have complete faith in Anubhav’s leadership and in CXM to create numerous opportunities for clients as well as for the network.”
Anubhav Sonthalia
Commenting on his new role, Sonthalia added: “I am looking forward to leading dentsu India CXM and to develop newer strategies to up our customer experience game. We aim to provide world-class services to our clients and prioritise data-driven experiences and personalisation of the entire end-to-end customer experience. Our key focus will be to create a holistic view for the clients, and a focused strategy for delivering personalised experiences that they demand.”
WatConsult, the hybrid digital agency from the house of Dentsu India, has won the tech mandate for personal care brand, ‘Joy’, from the house of RSH Global Pvt. Ltd., following a multi-agency pitch. As per the mandate, WatConsult will be responsible for the e-commerce development for Joy Personal Care.
Sunil Agarwal
Said Sunil Agarwal, Chairman, RSH Global: “We launched around 25 products for the e-commerce platforms from December 2020 to April 2021. These are differentiated products which are not a part of our general trade and modern trade portfolio and are priced 25-30 percent higher than its offline range. We will further strengthen our product portfolio by adding more products, specially targeted to the online consumer. As of now, the e-commerce business is around 4- 5 percent of our annual GMV and is driven by various marketplaces. We want to increase it to 10 percent in the next two years, while we strive to get the overall turnover to 1000 crore by the same time. To achieve this, we understand that having our own exclusive marketplace would be a key factor, and hence I’m happy to welcome WatConsult on-board to help us with a website that gives us a window to sell our products to our online consumers.”
Commenting on the win, Heeru Dingra, CEO, WatConsult added: “Covid – induced online buying habits has led to a drastic rise of e-commerce. Today, consumers even from tier II + cities are flocking online to shop. To make the most of this opportunity, there is a need for companies to upgrade/build a virtual infrastructure that is relevant to consumers and their evolving behaviours. We are happy that Joy Personal Care recognises this as a key strategy for the brands growth and we look forward to helping them conquer in this new world.”
Isobar, the digital agency that’s part of Dentsu India, has launched a white paper on the new touch-starved world.
Rahul Vengalil
Commenting on the report, Rahul Vengalil, Chief Business Officer, Isobar said: ”We are invested in understanding cultural trends and people’s opinions that are continuously shaping human behaviour. Touch starvation is a major part of our lives now. While this trend slowly started picking up even before the pandemic, it is all the more prevalent and relevant today. Our effort is to understand how this affects us and create opportunities for businesses and provide the right experience for the consumers.”
Mamtah Sabhrwal
Added Mamtah Sabhrwal, Director – Brand Strategy, Isobar India: “We are in a state of flux and there are many studies on the shift in human behaviour and culture. Hence, it was imperative to pick a subject that analyses the root cause of the changes we are going through. We then carefully and consciously identified Touch Starvation as it has impacted people’s lives particularly a few segments without ever getting noticed. And there is a lack of general awareness and empirical data which reflects how common conditions like mood swings can be a direct implication of the same. With this white paper, we aim to uncover where are we now and what comes next due to this skin hunger.”
Dentsu has announced the launch of ‘Indeed Smart City’ in India under its CSR advisory and implementation arm, Indeed. The aim of this initiative is in line with India’s aspirations for economic modernisation, which are fundamentally linked to the country’s Smart City Mission.
Indeed Smart City’s ability to identify and scale opportunities at speed is a product of its unique Innovation Architecture, which includes a cross-capability team of industry and operational expertise that helps cities’ pilots to adopt new technologies and spark transformation. The Smart City will deliver solutions across domains such as Smart Infrastructure under the ABD (Area Based Development) initiative of the Smart City mission as well as smart healthcare, safety, citizen engagement, education and smart energy solutions. Additionally, Indeed Smart City will also focus on ICT (Information & Communications Technology) from ICCC (Integrated Command and Control Centres) to safety and surveillance, Video Analytics, CCP (City Collaboration Platforms), Smart Poles, city wi-fi solutions and more.
Ajay Singh
Ajay Singh, a Smart City specialist, has been appointed as Vice President to spearhead the Indeed Smart City initiative.
Speaking on his new role, Singh said: “I am honoured to have the opportunity to lead Indeed Smart City by dentsu India- a network with industry-leading OOH technology, creative thinking team, and unique innovation architecture with its strong commitment to the community. The strength of media is important when it comes to communication points in cities so that they can be used to inspire people and change things for the better, thereby, making the urban environment more cheerful. With this ambition, we aim to have a growth-oriented innovative mindset, constant investments in our team, and onboard new emerging technology partners. I am truly excited to lead this innovative group. As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, I am confident that Indeed Smart City will grow to become the trusted smart solutions technology partner for our customers across the globe and help give the cities a more sustainable & resilient future -‘Re-invent to stay relevant’.”
Haresh Nayak
Commenting on the appointment, Haresh Nayak, COO, Dentsu international, Media Brands added: “Our cities are undergoing dramatic change as a result of new technologies and modern infrastructure projects. Indeed Smart City will harness the power of technology and smart solutions via its associates and partners to bring meaningful marketing solutions and experiences for brands. I am confident of Ajay’s capabilities and his impressive track record will certainly allow us to explore newer opportunities as we move into the next phase of smarter solutions.”
Isobar, the digital agency from the house of Dentsu India, has roped in Aalap Desai as National Creative Director (NCD). In his new role, Desai will lead the agency’s creative team and report into Gopa Kumar, COO, Isobar India.
Shamsuddin Jasani
Speaking on the appointment, Shamsuddin Jasani, Managing Director, Isobar South Asia said: “At Isobar, our motto is to ‘Invent, Make, Change’. We are striving to deliver innovative creative experience-led solutions for our brands in India. Aalap looks at tech as not something dry and lifeless but as something that can change lives and makes it work harder for brands. That’s a perfect fit with our philosophy and is the apt approach we need to make Isobar future-proof as a leader in innovations in India.”
Aalap Desai
Commenting on his joining, Desai said: “Digital is a creative mine that is still hugely under-explored. Solving brand challenges with a proper insight that is supplemented by digital intuition is an explosive combination that very few people are aware of and something that even fewer choose to tap into. This combination has always been part of the Isobar DNA, and I will work towards hyper-charging it. Also, the past year has been tiring. Work pressure has eclipsed the joy we derived from work. One of my top agendas will be to reverse that because I genuinely believe that a tiny, seemingly insignificant thing as joy is actually the only key that opens up many locks. It unlocks creativity, leading to unlocking fame, awards, and a thriving creative culture because all of these follow. Isobar has phenomenal energy and a brilliant set of people. I’m looking forward to having tons of fun.”
There’s a hardly a day or a week when we don’t receive a communique from Dentsu India. Like this one which informs us of a new structure for its creative service line in India. The restructure will bring together the creative agencies along with their digital and PR capabilities – all from the house of Dentsu – under one umbrella with an aim to provide a more collaborative and aligned offering to clients. The brands that will come together as part of this redesign as Dentsu Creative include Dentsu Webchutney, Taproot Dentsu, WatConsult, Perfect Relations, Isobar, Dentsu One, Dentsu India and Dentsu Impact.
With the eventual consolidation under the two strong global brands – Dentsumcgarrybowen (DentsuMB) and Isobar, Dentsu Creative will provide digital-native, brand-led, customer-centric, creative, and strategic solutions to clients, effortlessly.
In India, the Dentsu Creative service line will be led by Amit Wadhwa as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He will be reporting into Anand Bhadkamkar and the regional dentsu Creative leadership.
Sidharth Rao
Sidharth Rao, in addition to his current responsibilities, will now also be in charge of the brand DentsuMB Group in India as its CEO. He will work with the leadership team on DentsuMB’s brand strategy for the market. Shamsuddin Jasani, who continues to oversee the Isobar brand in South Asia as its Managing Director (MD), will also take on an additional role at Dentsu Creative. He will now work with the regional and global leadership teams to support the Isobar practice area and will work closely with the Isobar Global leadership team on the same.
Anand Bhadkamkar
Speaking on the new development, Anand Bhadkamkar, CEO India said: “This global restructure is about consolidation of capabilities across our brands and businesses with an aim to bring the best of our services to our clients and provide those specialisms without any hassles. The idea is to ultimately stand true to our #OneDentsu strategy and thus, transform into a sharper and leaner business partner to brands. The changes in the India leadership team only reflects a step ahead in bolstering and scaling up our market ambitions. Amit, Sid and Shams are amongst the strongest creative leaders not just within Dentsu but across industry; and with the kind of experience and knowledge backing them, I am certain that they will steer Dentsu towards excellence not just in India but beyond.”
The network has elevated Narayan Devanathan as President – Strategy & Integration for India, in addition to his current role as CEO, Dentsu Solutions. He will continue to report into Anand Bhadkamkar for his additional responsibility as part of the India market leadership team. Meanwhile, Devnathan will now also don a regional hat as APAC Head for the Dentsu Creative Strategy & Consulting practice.
“Narayan has been instrumental in driving integration across our units and, as part of the South Asia integration initiatives, he will be supporting the Sri Lanka team in strategy and integration across the two markets. He will now be moving away from his current additional role as Chairperson, Creative Service Line for India and will take up a regional leadership role as APAC Lead – Strategy & Consulting Practice in the creative service line. In this role, he will be working with the Regional and Global leadership teams within the creative service line to help develop the area of Strategy & Consulting Practice in the APAC region,” Bhadkamkar added.
Dentsu India has announced the appointment of Arti Singh as VP National for its shoppers’ marketing unit, Hyperspace. In her new role, Singh will be in charge of the shoppers’ marketing division that includes experiential, retail, cinema and mall business.
For the record, this is Singh’s second innings with Dentsu India. Previously, she had been with the network for more than a decade and played a vital role in successfully delivering marketing experiential retail campaigns for brands.
Speaking on her new role, Singh said: “It’s a great role, with enormous possibilities in my second innings. Hyperspace is a network that has established strong credentials in the space for over a decade now. I am excited about the endless opportunities and challenges this new role offers and I look forward to driving Hyperspace’s continued growth and ambition in India.”
Haresh Nayak
Commenting on the appointment, Haresh Nayak, COO, Dentsu International, Group MD, Posterscope SA, President, Posterscope APAC added: “Arti will be responsible for strengthening the shoppers’ marketing practices across all agencies of Dentsu India. Her presence and experience in the space will help us beef up our efforts in understanding the behaviour of shoppers. She brings immense value to the company’s capabilities. We are increasingly bringing on board senior talents in this space who can carry forward the learnings of seamlessly-integrated consumer and brand interaction in the new normal.”
It’s official. CEO Anand Bhadkamkar has quit Dentsu India. It’s his last day today (August 31).
