Carat, the media agency from the house of Dentsu, has appointed Sayami Podder as Associate Vice President (AVP) – Strategy. In her new role, Podderwill be spearheading strategic thinking for the agency. She will also offer insights to the existing agency clients across the West and South regions. She will report to Anita Kotwani, CEO, Carat India.
Commenting on the appointment, Kotwani said: “Talent today is the key differentiator that clients look for. Our core focus is to always ensure that we have the best talent that comes on board and joins the Carat family. Sayami’s diverse expertise across data & analytics, research, communication planning and media strategy, is certainly something that will drive growth for the clients. We see her as the ideal team player to lead Carat’s vision of ‘Designing for People’ in the West & South markets.”
Added Podder: “The consumer journey is no more linear, and the media ecosystem is constantly evolving to accommodate our new age audience. Carat is already known for its strategic thinking and integrated approach. With my expertise in data science and creative thinking, I am looking forward to building an insight-led strategy that will generate incremental and sustainable growth for our clients. I am delighted to begin this new journey under Anita’s dynamic leadership and contribute to Carat’s growth story for India.”
Dentsu has announced the appointment of industry veteran Sunil Lulla as Consultant Advisor for India. Lulla will work closely with, and report into, Peter Huijboom, Interim CEO, Dentsu India to focus on driving business growth and activation in the market while continuing the search for the right candidate to lead the Dentsu India business. Lulla will be on board wef April 4 and will work with the business until Dentsu India hires a permanent CEO.
Commenting on the appointment, Huijboom said: “Sunil is joining us at a critical time as we realise the benefits of our transformation through our integrated offering. He has had an impressive career with significant achievements in the businesses he has worked with, and I am looking forward to our partnership. We see significant opportunity in the India market and I am pleased with the momentum we are seeing. Sunil will continue to accelerate our growth trajectory while working with our teams to define, activate and ignite Dentsu’s winning culture in the market. It’s an exciting time to be at Dentsu India.”
Added Lulla: “I am thrilled to participate in Denstu India’s growth and transformation journey. I could not refuse an opportunity to work with a business that is relentlessly focused on shaping their own business to help clients navigate the changing market context and pioneer a new way forward. I am excited to partner with Peter and build on the progress made with the leadership team, being a part of the team that works together to transform into the agency of tomorrow.”
An MBA from SP Jain Institute, Lulla has spent long and successful years in advertising, broadcast and digital. He spent 11 years in JWT in India, China and Taiwan, three years at HMV (now Saregama), three years at MTV India which he turned around, a year at Diageo, two years at Indya.com, three years at Sony Entertainment and then eight years as CEO and MD of the Times Television Network. Later he spent nearly four years as CMD of Grey Group India before making the switch to Balaji where he was there for a year-and-a-half. He took charge as CEO of television audience measurement body BARC in October 2019.
Reckitt India has consolidated the entire media mandate including strategy and planning across offline and digital with Dentsu X. Dentsu X has been handing the offline media mandate for Reckitt India since 2020. The additional mandate of strategy and digital has been awarded to the agency following a comprehensive competitive pitch process, notes a communique from Dentsu X.
Speaking on the win, Divya Karani, South Asia Media CEO, Dentsu commented: “This win certainly reflects our client’s confidence in Dentsu’s ability to make a meaningful difference to their businesses.”
Added Roopam Garg, Chief Executive Officer, Dentsu X: “Reckitt has been an absolute delight to work with. This long-term partnership underlines Reckitt’s confidence in our expertise and we look forward to working with the brand on driving consumer centricity and innovations. With a distinct viewpoint on the evolving communication landscape, Dentsu X believes in providing experiences that go beyond conventional media exposures. This consolidation certainly empowers us to drive the desired seamless consumer experience.”
Said Gaurav Jain, Senior VP, South Asia, Reckitt: “We’re excited to expand our relationship with Dentsu X. They understand our brand, our vision and our way of working. We are confident that Dentsu X will continue to assist us in engaging with our audience while also contributing to our commercial objectives.”
The Dentsu network released its annual digital report on Tuesday.
Narayan Devanathan
Said Narayan Devanathan, Chief Client Officer, Dentsu India: “Notwithstanding the devastation caused by Covid-19’s second wave in 2021, we have seen a dramatic upsurge in digital in ways we have not seen before. Digital advertising in India is expected to equal (if not surpass) the previously-impregnable fortress of TV advertising by 2023, clocking in at Rs. 35,809 crore out of an expected total advertising of Rs. 93,119 crore. Accelerating this trend and underscoring it, has proved that even in 2021, 75% of digital advertising spends was recorded on mobile devices – signalling mass India’s leapfrog into the digital era. With the requisite caution in the face of the varying strains of the pandemic notwithstanding, India will continue to rise in the global economy in the coming years, driven by digital. In that context, the importance and utility of a comprehensive, authoritative and trustworthy census of the digital-driven advertising landscape cannot be underestimated. The 2022 edition of the ‘dentsu Digital Report’ has been put together to act as an enabler as well as expansive assimilation of all the action in the Indian advertising landscape so that we all have one vocabulary, one source of truth to turn to in harnessing its potential.”
Key Highlights:
:: The Indian advertising industry currently stands at Rs. 70,715 crore, having grown at 18.6% over 2020. It is expected to reach Rs. 93,119 crore by the end of 2023, growing at a CAGR of 14.75%.
:: The digital advertising industry has witnessed a growth in market size from Rs. 15,782 crore in 2020 to Rs. 21,353 crore in 2021, growing at 35.3%. Digital media is expected to grow at 29.5% CAGR to reach a market size of Rs. 35,809 crore by 2023.
:: In 2021, television claimed the largest share of media spending at 42% (Rs. 29,279 crore), followed by digital (30%, Rs. 21,353 crore) and print (24%, Rs. 16,599 crore).
:: Currently, FMCG has the highest contribution of 34% (Rs. 23,736 crore) towards the Indian advertising industry, followed by e-commerce (14%, Rs. 9,619 crore) and automotive (7%, Rs. 4,745 crore).
:: The biggest contributors to the digital media industry are FMCG with 42% (Rs. 8,928 crore), e-commerce (17%, Rs. 3,607 crore), consumer durables (6%, Rs. 1,368 crore) and pharmaceutical (5%, Rs. 1,124 crore).
:: Spends on digital media are led by social media, which has the largest share of 29% (Rs. 6,218 crore), closely followed by online video (28%, Rs. 5,907 crore) and paid search (23%, Rs. 5,039 crore).
:: FMCG, education and media & entertainment verticals spend the largest share of their digital media budget on online video, while pharmaceuticals and e-commerce spend the most on paid search.
:: The rapid increase in mobile usage and improved internet infrastructure have led to 75% (Rs. 16,015 crore) of digital media spending on mobile devices. Most of the online expenditure on mobile devices goes to social media (30%) and online video (30%).
:: The changing consumer behaviour is paving the way for conversational commerce. E-commerce in India is evolving in the form of social commerce, video commerce, voice commerce and hyperlocal / Business to Consumer (B2C) commerce and expanding its realm into other media. Micropayment mechanisms will accelerate this evolution further.
:: The shift in technology is resulting in a widespread acceleration to the digital transformation of businesses and consumers. This is leading the way to media convergence with business delivery models taking a more organic form, independent of the individual medium.
Paytm in association with Dentsu Impact has rolled out a campaign with a digital film. The film also takes forward Paytm’s belief to be an enabler for women’s financial autonomy.
Commenting on the campaign, Anupama Ramaswamy, National Creative Director & Managing Partner, Dentsu Impact said: “Giving it back, by paying it back makes the intent of this campaign palpable for both women and men. The New Year campaign demonstrates how it pays to challenge the conventions of how we think of finance and gender. And any challenge to the traditional way of accepting things makes the brand and the message it conveys modern and aspirational, striking a chord especially with a younger generation.”
It’s confirmed. Dentsu APAC big boss Ashish Bhasin has decided to move on.
According to an internal email, he has been granted early retirement
Said Bhasin: “I have had a wonderful 13+ years and have enjoyed leading Dentsu India and Dentsu APAC. In this journey I was lucky to have a brilliant team, very supportive colleagues and have made some lovely friends for life. Dentsu is a great company and I wish them the very best.
I am unable to comment on my future plans for now but in the meanwhile I am really looking forward to going to Harvard for the Advanced Management Program, for which I have secured admission for the next semester.”
Meanwhile, Dentsu international has issued a statement:
Dentsu International confirms that Ashish Bhasin, CEO Dentsu APAC & Chairman India is seeking early retirement from Dentsu after 13 years with the business. It is his last day today.
We will announce a successor in due course. To manage this transition, Simon Jones, CFO APAC & Belli Mathanda, COO APAC will work closely with our global CEO, Wendy Clark, who will have a greater focus on the region during this time supported by the APAC Executive team.
This strong team is well placed to continue the positive transformation underway in the region as we simplify how we operate and bring together our leading capabilities in service of our clients in Creative, Media and CXM to realise our global ambition to be the most integrated agency network in the world.
In India, Peter Huijboom will continue his interim, day-to-day leadership of the business with the India leadership team, while we are in the final stages of our search and appointment of a new CEO in India.
Mindshare India has today announced the appointment of Gopa Menon as the Digital Head, South Asia.In this role, Menon will be responsible for managing the agency’s full service digital offerings and help existing and new clients transform their digital processes, digital marketing strategies, brand building and ROI driven marketing outcomes.
Menon comes with a rich and vast experience of close to 18 years in driving digital transformation for brands across the region. He was last with Isobar, the Dentsu agency as COO. Interestingly, Vinod Thadani, Menon’s predecessor has moved to Dentsu as Chief Digital Officer and MD of iProspect.
Said Amin Lakhani, Chief Operating Officer, Mindshare South Asia: “Gopa brings with him in depth knowledge and diverse digital expertise. We are confident that Gopa will play a pivotal role as we accompany our clients in elevating business outcomes through our unique addressable media stack.”
Added Menon: “With the digital growth and evolution today, there are a lot of opportunities in store for brands to explore and accordingly revamp their digital tactics. I am incredibly thrilled & happy to be part of the Mindshare & the purple family, its sort of home coming for me and as Mindshare now re-orients its business around the pillars of “Acceleration”, “Outcomes” & Good growth, I am really looking forward to working with the teams here at Mindshare to shape the continued phase of growth & transformation for its clients.”
Menon will be based out of Gurugram and will report to Amin Lakhani, Chief Operating Officer, Mindshare South Asia.
We may be sounding cheeky with our headline, but that was the first impulse reacton to the subject when the release hit our inboxes today. Not without reason, as the India offices of Dentsu India have seen some significant changes in the recent past. Deep cleaning, if one could call it.
Well, so, yes, Karani is very much around of course. But the agency has now announced that Roopam Garg, COO of Dentsu X (dX) India, will be its all-new CEO. Garg has been COO for five years.
Garg will continue to report into Karani, who is currently CEO, Media – South Asia but is being tipped to assume a more dominant group responsibility.
Commenting on the elevation, Karani said, “We are living in exciting times, with many new progress prospects ahead of us. Dentsu X currently holds an enviable position in the industry. I’m confident that under Roopam’s leadership and his intuitive ability to assemble highly motivated teams, the best days are yet to come.”
Elaborating on his role, Garg added, “Dentsu X’s stature and growth is a result of our data-driven design, our commitment to deliver ‘experience beyond exposure’, and our deep client-agency partnership in effecting business outcomes. Along with our team, I look forward to accelerating our growth momentum.”
Dentsu X, like parent Dentsu, lowercases the ‘d’, but as a policy, MxM doesn’t do it if it’s the first alphabet in the word/name. For not just Dentsu, for other brands/organisations as well. Like the u in UdChalo.
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.”
Advertising investment is forecast to grow by 10.4% globally in 2021, according to the latest Dentsu Ad Spend Report. The twice-yearly report which combines data from 59 markets, anticipates US$634 billion will be spent globally with all regions enjoying positive growth.
Adspend in APAC is expected to grow by 8.0% or US$17 billion to US$229 billion. In the region, Australia and India are forecasting particularly high growth rates in 2021, with 2021 growth expected to exceed pre-pandemic levels in China.
The pandemic-induced decline in advertising spend during 2020 has proved less severe than anticipated. Some trends in consumer behaviour and spend in advertising which emerged during the past year have remained.
In APAC, the 6.2% rise in digital spend last year is forecast to grow by 12.8% in 2021 to reach US$124.5 billion, representing a 54% share of total ad spend. Forecasts for Social (33.4%) and Video (10.8%) will also rise, with Search also growing (7.8%) reaching US$23.1 billion in 2021.
Offline/Linear ad spend will see a return to growth 2.8% to US$104.8 billion, following a 15% decline in 2020, however it is predicted that spend levels in APAC will remain below pre-pandemic levels in 2021.
While regional live events such Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics Games continue to be a significant driver of growth in Linear TV ad spend in APAC (3.9% increase in 2021 to reach US$59.2 billion), the dentsu data suggests a shift towards CTV (Connected TV) and OTT (Over The Top) and audiences moving more towards digital media consumption mean Linear TV spend will remain below pre-pandemic levels until beyond 2021.
With restrictions lifting on social activity, OOH will see a bounce back post impact of the pandemic, rising 7.5% in 2021 in the region. Cinema has a slightly longer recovery, with a further decline in 2021 (-5.0%) but expected to bounce back in 2022. Radio will also see growth (4.3%) in 2021.
While most channels will return to growth in 2021 (Cinema in 2022), Print is seeing a slight decline in 2021 (–2.7%) and expected to continue declining in 2022, as it continues to evolve towards new modes of digital delivery.
Looking at the industries who will see growth in ad spend this year, it will come as little surprise that government spending remains a key growth area, supporting the Covid vaccine rollout and other related initiatives. In APAC’s key markets, the travel and transport sectors, will still be affected by the uncertainty of the past year and see a muted increase in demand (4.9%), while Media & Entertainment is forecast to see growth (9.7%).
The decline in APAC advertising spend prompted by the pandemic in 2020, has proved to be less severe than originally anticipated. While 2020 remains the weakest performing year since the global financial crisis, the decline in growth has been raised since Dentsu’s January 2021 forecast (from -8.0% to -5.2%.) In 2021, the market is seeing a recovery in growth (8.0%), an improvement (2.1% pts) on January’s predication. Looking to 2022, recovery is set to continue when spending is likely to reach US$243.6 billion and grow at a rate of 6.3%.
Ashish Bhasin
Said Ashish Bhasin, CEO APAC, Dentsu international: “It is promising to see a return to growth in the APAC region with two of our markets in the top five contributors of ad spend growth; China and Japan. While China continues to see strong levels of growth driven by Digital and OOH, Japan’s growth will be buoyed by events like the 2020 Olympic & Paralympic Games, and the House of Representative elections and the advertising spend associated with it, particularly in TV.
In addition, Australia and India are two of the top year-on-year growth markets, forecasting a surge in ad spend. Australia has had a stronger economic recovery after the pandemic particularly in TV and Digital where the government focused much of their Covid-related campaigns, while India is expected to see a resurgence in Digital advertising spend though TV is still the main contributor with a 40.9% share.”
Prerna Mehrotra
Added Prerna Mehrotra, CEO Media APAC and MD Media Singapore: “We are optimistic that the region will bounce back to positive growth in ad spend, with some channels likely boosted higher than pre-pandemic levels. The main drivers behind the growth is economic recovery, with the APAC GDP set to increase by 7.3%, and a stronger-than-ever push to digital marketing. Serving as a stimulus the pandemic has accelerated digital adoption. Digital media will continue to drive ad revenue growth this year with strong performance in social (+33.4%) and video (+10.8%) and majority of spends in mobile. We will also see more investments diverted towards addressable and the digitalisation of OOH channels. Programmatic DOOH will also be a key growth driver in the future. With the growing numbers of SSPs and DSPs partnerships and an increasing demand for location-based solutions to ad-reaching consumers in these times of uncertainty, advertisers will benefit from the speed, flexibility and the targeting capability that the medium will provide.”
Growth in global ad spend between 2019 and 2022
Year-on-year % growth at current prices (January 2021 figures in brackets)
Share of global ad spend by channel between 2019 and 2022
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.”
The media arm of Dentsu international published the first in-depth review of a cookieless future in the wake of recent Google announcements and timelines. The Cookieless World: A Guide for the New Era of Digital Marketing provides a deep dive into the impact on brands due to major changes in web tracking capabilities and enhanced privacy legislation. It will explore a range of areas including Data Management, Audience Activation & First-party Data Usage, Performance Measurement and Preparing for the Deprecation of Third-party Cookies.
Last week, Google reset the clock for supporting cookies within its Chrome internet browser. The new report from Dentsu explores the knock-on implications for both consumers and brands, as well as the solutions its media agencies Carat, iProspect, and DentsuX can leverage to support the change.
On launching the report, Rohan Philips, Global Product Officer, Media, Dentsu international said: “Across the globe, 91% of consumers are concerned about the amount of data companies can collect about them and 42% have taken steps to reduce the amount of data they share online. So, it’s no wonder all eyes are focused on this fundamental change in the way we all operate on the web. We now have the time and opportunity to make sure what comes next is the best solution it can be for our clients. With such a major upheaval to the long-established status quo, we understand there’s uncertainty and a lot of questions. The Cookieless World report is there to provide answers for marketers who need to wrestle with the big challenges facing their brands now and in the coming years.”
Prerna Mehrotra
Added Prerna Mehrotra, CEO, Media, Dentsu Asia Pacific: “With the most popular browsers ending support for third party cookies and the rise of other types of tracking prevention, the ability for brands to target consumers and measure campaign effectiveness will be impacted. This, coupled with the rise of global and local privacy legislations, will significantly change the fabric of digital marketing in the coming future. Brands will now need to relook at how they engage people online, while limiting some of the most widespread digital marketing tactics, such as personalised 1:1 targeting. The time is ripe for brands to rethink the next lap of their marketing practices.”
It’s official. CEO Anand Bhadkamkar has quit Dentsu India. It’s his last day today (August 31).
