MxMIndia

Tag: GroupM South Asia

  • 10.2% AdEx growth in 2024

    10.2% AdEx growth in 2024

    GroupM India released its annual This Year Next Year (TYNY) report in Mumbai on Tuesdays. The overall ad revenue is expected to reach Rs 155,386 crore in 2024, with an incremental Rs 14,423 crores compared to 2023. This is a growth of 10.2 year-on-year.

    Digital at 13% growth is driving overall ad revenue growth in 2024, as per the report. It  will take 57% share of AdEx pie in the year. All other media combined to grow at 6.8% in the year.  Of the 14,423cr of incremental ad revenue in 2024, 70% to go to digital.

    Within digital, retail media driving growth; CAGR of 41% in 2019-24F. Digital extensions of TV estimated at INR 5,750cr in 2024. Auto, realty, retail, SME estimated to drive growth in 2024

    Prasanth Kumar
    Prasanth Kumar

    Said Prasanth Kumar, CEO, GroupM South Asia: “Despite facing macroeconomic challenges, we remain optimistic about the industry. At 10.2%, India will be the fastest growing top market. 2024 will also see an upside from the spends leading to the General Elections. Digital particularly retail media and digital extensions of TV are expected to drive the growth. SME continues to fuel the growth. Linear TV is at a point of inflection and needs to be enabled with rapid deployment of technology to stay relevant.”

    Ashwin Padmanabhan
    Ashwin Padmanabhan

    Added Ashwin Padmanabhan, President – Investments, Trading, and Partnerships, GroupM – India: “The advertising landscape is evolving with the fragmentation of search, rapid rise of influencer marketing and retail media. Reflecting this, at INR 88,502 crores of the overall Rs 155,386 crore, digital will contribute to 57% of all ad revenue. Within digital ad revenue, search contributes 22%, retail media 18% and the rest 60%. Sectors like Auto, Realty and Offline Retail are expected to power the overall advertising growth.”

    Parveen Sheik
    Parveen Sheik

    Said Parveen Sheik, Head of Business Intelligence, GroupM India:  “Global advertising presents a steady picture: a projected 5.3% global growth in ad revenue for 2024, reaching $936 billion, with digital leading the charge at a commanding 79% share of all ad revenue. India continues to be ranked 8th globally and its ad revenue growth among its peers is a testament to its potential and resilience. Adaptability is key to navigating an evolving advertising landscape amidst inflation and geopolitical tensions.”

    Parthasarathy Mandayam
    Parthasarathy Mandayam

    Added Parthasarathy Mandayam (Maps), Chief Strategy Officer – GroupM South Asia, “Zero Party Data will come to the fore, providing insights on attitudes, behaviour, and product consumption. The availability of granular data will lead to micromarketing strategies, be it in market prioritisation, ultra-niche consumer segments and micro influencers. Advances in AI will also transform measurement, messaging, and media optimisation.”

    Priti Murthy
    Priti Murthy

    Said Priti Murthy, President -GroupM Nexus, “In 2024, brands will shift their focus to consumer experience through performance marketing, integrating brand activities and emotions. Search marketing will become more diverse due to growing complexity and skillsets. Attention planning will impact growth narratives and ROI. Technology will aid hyperlocal marketing, but modern retail still has room for digital growth.”

    The GroupM TYNY report also unveiled several evolving trends for 2024.

    Key trends include:

    • Increasing influence of gen-alpha will drive distinctive marketing strategies
    • Attention Planning – customising insights for actionability
    • 21% of television homes to be addressable in 2024
    • Sports to focus on immersive experience journeys
    • Brand marketing becomes more accountable on performance, breaking silos
    • Step-up on search
    • Ecommerce drives deeper into organisations
    • India’s general and modern trade getting digitised leading to rise of omnichannel commerce
    • Rapid developments in AI will transform media, messaging, and measurement
    • AI and technology dominate the content landscape and creator economy
    • Importance of niche consumer segments will power the growth of micromarketing
    • With consent becoming critical, zero party data will empower various areas of marketing
  • … notes a marketers’ guide  by GroupM and MMA titled ‘Transform to Thrive’

    Macro factors impacting volatility in business…

     

     

    By Our Staff

     

    GroupM along with MMA today has launched a marketers’ guide titled ‘Transform to Thrive’.

     

    Notes the report: “In order to strategise on how organisations should “Transform to Thrive”, in an uncertain world, it is first important to delve into the drivers of uncertainty. With the objective of crafting a carefully researched and relevant report, MMA conducted a survey among senior marketing professionals across industries. The findings are what determined the roadmap for various elements of this report. 61% of marketers felt that macro environment factors like Covid, Ukraine war, inflation etc. have been the highest contributors to volatility in business, followed in innovations in technology and a shift in consumer trends and preferences,” adding: “Amidst these uncertain times, marketers also need to expand their focus on protecting their advertising spends from the rising threat of sophisticated fraud. A critical component in achieving this is ensuring safe inventory to engage the “right audience” with advertising campaigns. Brands must adopt a customer-centric advertising approach, prioritising the protection and acknowledgement of their consumers’ interests.”

     

    Said Prasanth Kumar, CEO – GroupM South Asia”: A marketer’s dashboard is spruced with business numbers, social numbers, service/outages, and innovation, all tied to delivering a superlative experience. This holistic approach ensures that marketing strategies are aligned with business goals, social engagement, service reliability, and innovation, all contributing to an exceptional customer experience. We embrace these trends and strive to provide innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers”, .

     

    Added Moneka Khurana, Country Head & Board Member, MMA Global – India: “MMR’23 is a must-read for every marketer looking to thrive in the face of unprecedented change. It provides a roadmap for building a future-proof marketing organisation, one that is agile, consumer-centric, and data-driven, and leverages relevant tools and technologies to power it. At the MMA, we believe that the future belongs to those who embrace 2023 as the year with change being front and centre and are willing to challenge the status quo. This report brings perspectives from 25+ experts from across the ecosystem offering the needed understanding. Grab the MMR – Modern Marketing Reckoner to start your Transform to Thrive journey ”

     

    Said Amit Jain, MMA India Board Chair; Chairman- L’Oréal India:“The Modern Marketing Reckoner 2023 offers a rich perspective on future-proofing marketing and being agile in the current times. It also drives perspectives on the power of AI, data, tech, and new media to accelerate business growth. We at MMA strongly believe that digital maturity must be measured in the context of key growth drivers to measure success and progress year on year. As the Chairperson of MMA India and L’Oreal India, I am excited to see the influence and shift in mindset this report will have on the marketing community.”

     

    The landscape of customisation has extended beyond media, with innovative strategies such as QR scans on products to build “always on” engagement, exclusive product bundles for omnichannel, and leveraging the strength of online marketplaces for key occasions. Marketers are urged to embrace dynamic marketing strategies that cater to individual customer preferences and preferences for communication channels.

     

    Furthermore, building flexible distribution networks that can quickly adapt to changing customer preferences is crucial. Organisations must pace up technological innovation to foster omnichannel growth and digitise supply chains, enabling real-time inventory management and delivery.

     

    The report can be accessed here –https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1K9951JJbeZqSIkwCjDPWwTqDCT9Nl4Pu&export=download

     

  • Partnership focused on innovative strategies and technology-driven solutions

    Mindshare drives home with media mandate of Maruti Suzuki

    By Our Staff

     

    Mindshare bags mandate for Maruti Suzuki. The agency emerged victorious after a competitive multi-agency pitch. As a flagship agency from GroupM, Mindshare’s expertise, creativity, and strategic vision will help steer the Maruti Suzuki brand towards a faster lane of growth and success, operating from its Gurgaon office.

     

    Shashank Srivastava, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said: “We are looking forward to this partnership with Mindshare (Group M) as our integrated media agency. We expect to leverage Mindshare’s strengths in the media industry to synergize and optimize our media spends and co-create ground-breaking initiatives that will give us an edge in today’s competitive automotive industry. We look forward to the exciting possibilities that lie ahead.”

     

    Added Helen McRae, CEO – Mindshare Asia Pacific: “This win by Mindshare in securing the media mandate for Maruti Suzuki is a significant milestone for the advertising industry in India. It highlights the agency’s exceptional capabilities in providing innovative and technology-driven solutions to their clients. We are excited to see the strategic vision and expertise of Mindshare to steer Maruti Suzuki towards sustainable and responsible growth. This partnership is a testament to the agency’s commitment to delivering exceptional results for clients and driving growth for businesses in the region.”

     

    Prasanth Kumar, CEO – GroupM South Asia, expressed his excitement, said:  “We are thrilled to have a brand like Maruti Suzuki on board with Mindshare India. This win is not only a testament to the agency’s outstanding capabilities and offerings but also demonstrates GroupM’s commitment to delivering exceptional results for clients. It also demonstrates the agency’s ability to drive brands forward and build trust with clients. We look forward to seeing the innovative solutions that Mindshare will develop to drive Maruti Suzuki’s growth story forward.”

     

  • GroupM ESP Sporting Nation Report 2023 reports a steady y-o-y growth in 2022

    India sports grows 49% to 14kcr

     

     

    By Our Staff

     

    GroupM ESP launched the 10th edition of the Sporting Nation Report 2023 on sports sponsorship in India on Wednesday. The Indian sports industry witnessed a significant growth curve in 2022, with spends crossing over INR 14,000 crore.

     

    Sporting Nation 2023 highlights the growth of sports sponsorship in India, with spends on-ground, team, and franchise rising by INR 3021 Cr, a 105% growth from 2021, making the total sponsorship spends INR 5907 Cr. The overall increase in spends was due to the rise in the number of IPL matches, the addition of two new IPL teams, the ICC T20 World Cup, Asia Cup, FIFA World Cup, and the return of emerging sports events and tournaments like PKL, marquee marathons, Maharashtra Open, and Commonwealth Games 2022. Indian women athletes and women cricketers saw a phenomenal rise, with the Indian women’s cricketers making a name for themselves on the international stage.

     

    The report highlights key aspects of how brands are expected to approach spending on sporting events differently with the rise of OTT, and the sports industry is one of the better-performing sectors in the economy with a 14% CAGR. Two big international racing events, Formula E & Moto GP, are to be held in India for the first time in 2023. The renewal of IPL Sponsorships post the 2023 season, BCCI Home Series Title ad Central Sponsorship along with team India sponsorship, BCCI Home Series Media Rights, and the inaugural season of WPL in March 2023 will be the tipping point for Indian cricket. Overall, the rise of Indian cricket, the performance of Indian athletes and the number of emerging sports leagues have all contributed to India becoming a sporting nation in the last ten years.

     

    The report reveals that cricket continues to dominate the Indian sports sponsorship landscape, contributing to 85% of the sponsorship spends, while emerging sports like football, kabaddi and marathon have seen a massive upsurge in the sponsorship spends, contributing to the remaining 15%.

     

    The growth of cricket sponsorship can be attributed to several reasons, including the Indian cricket team playing almost the double number of matches, as compared to 2021. The Indian Premier League (IPL) contributed the major revenue by adding two new franchises – Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants, and a full house of central sponsorship.

     

    Said Prasanth Kumar, CEO – GroupM South Asia:  “The Indian sports ecosystem is experiencing a revolutionary transformation, with athletes becoming influential role models for the youth and sports sponsorships gathering immense momentum. In this scenario, brands hold tremendous potential to tap into the passion and loyalty of Indian sports fans. Despite facing unprecedented pandemic challenges, the exceptional performance of the sports industry in 2022 reflects its resilience and unwavering commitment. As we move forward, technology will play an increasingly pivotal role in content management and fan engagement, while opening new and exciting opportunities in sports. Live sports will continue to be highly coveted as monetizable properties, making it a promising sector for investment.”

     

    Commenting on the report’s findings, Vinit Karnik, Head – Sports, Esports and Entertainment, GroupM South Asia, said: “The Sporting Nation report illuminates the explosive growth of sports sponsorship in India, a testament to the nation’s fervent passion for sports and the industry’s enormous potential for brands. With the rise of new sports and leagues alongside the unparalleled popularity of cricket, brands have unprecedented opportunities to connect with fans through sports. The report also highlights the burgeoning trend of sports celebrity endorsement, with cricketing stars blazing the trail. Brands can leverage these insights to tap into the power of sports sponsorship and accomplish their marketing goals with unmatched effectiveness.”

     

    According to the Sporting Nation Report, the sports celebrity endorsement market in India has seen significant growth, with a 20% increase with total value of INR 729 Crore. Out of the 505 brand endorsement deals, 85% of the total brand endorsement value has come from cricketers. The top athletes in sports celebrity brand endorsement include Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar, Neeraj Chopra, and PV Sindhu. Cricketers’ endorsement has grown by 18%, with Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, and Rohit Sharma endorsing over 30 brands each, and adding new brands in 2022. Other cricketers such as Hardik Pandya, Jaspreet Bumrah, KL Rahul, and Surya Kumar Yadav are also scoring big in the endorsement space. Neeraj Chopra and PV Sindhu continue to be leading the non-cricketing athletes leading the endorsement deals.

     

    The report also notes that apart from cricket leagues, the successful hosting of several other tournaments like Indian Super League, Pro Kabaddi, the Commonwealth Games, Prime Volleyball League, and Ultimate KhoKho, along with the return of marathons and the Women’s Indian Open Golf tournament also helped in building a diverse sports content portfolio in the country bringing in more eyeballs and creating multiple opportunities.

     

  • To power a new era of modern marketing

    GroupM India inks strategic partnership with ShareChat

    By Our Staff

     

    GroupM India and ShareChat have announced a partnership to power a “new era of modern marketing”.

     

    Said Prasanth Kumar, GroupM South Asia CEO: “At GroupM, we have embraced the digital disruption and have instilled digital as one of the major cornerstones to drive change. The challenges thrown by digital transformation have immensely contributed to our learning and introduced us to newer consumer habits, in turn enabling us to add value to our clients by offering tailored marketing solutions. We see our partnership with ShareChat going a long way in benefitting our clients as it effectively connects with a large population of the country.”

     

    Added former GroupM India and global honcho Ajit Varghese, Chief Commercial Officer, ShareChat and Moj: “Today, the consumer ecosystem is constantly evolving, however, majority of the marketing spends continues to be parked for tried and tested platforms. It’s time for the marketing and advertising fraternity to realize the urgent need to adapt to this rapid change. We are glad to have partnered with GroupM in offering ShareChat’s expertise to enable brands to reach the Bharat and Gen Z consumers effectively and at scale.”

     

  • To enable marketers to build winning marketing organisations

    MMA India releases Modern Marketing Reckoner

    By Our Staff

     

    MMA along with GroupM has unveiled its Annual Report – Modern Marketing Reckoner 2022: Building Winning Marketing Organisations. It states that a 1% improvement in marketing capability fit for firms is associated with a 2.5% increase in sales growth recommending a structured methodology and framework that enable organisations to match capability fit to drive growth and performance.

     

    The MMA India report showcases ways to improve capability fit and brings forth an ecosystem POV to share key insights and expertise on building winning marketing organisations. A must attend and a must download toolkit to build winning marketing organisations.

     

    Commenting on the unveiling of the 2022 annual report, Moneka Khurana, Country Head and Board Member India, MMA India said: “The huge societal and behavioural changes in the last two years have forced marketers to learn how to put in place the technology, people, processes needed to better understand consumer needs and provide more authentic and immersive as well as relatable customer experiences. It has also accelerated the need for marketers to keep up to date with the emerging trends in marketing and find effective ways to leverage them. MMA is working towards shaping the future of modern marketing by enlightening, empowering, and enabling marketers with valuable insights and tools, and the Modern Marketing Reckoner – A tool kit to build winning marketing organizations is yet another key step in this direction”.

     

    Added Prasanth Kumar, CEO, GroupM South Asia & MMA India Co-chair: “The last two years have seen tectonic shifts in consumer behaviour, technology, and data. At GroupM, we aim to be at the forefront of these changes and help our clients navigate them. The Modern Marketing Reckoner 2022 is an initiative in that direction. This year’s report offers very helpful insights from industry and GroupM experts on how to build winning marketing organisations. The report showcases the modern marketing capability map which is a combination of customer value and organisational value and is a comprehensive guide that focuses on discovering growth, engaging with consumers, and making future centric and scalable organisation changes. I am certain that this playbook is going to play a vital role for marketers in the journey of building winning marketing organisations.”

     

    Key Highlights:

    • More than 50 expert POVs from experts across multiple domains as well as from GroupM thought leaders

    • 69% of consumers prefer using chat interfaces as they deliver real-time answers and personalisation. 82% of consumers claim that instant responses to their questions play a significant role in the buying process when contacting brands

    • There will be more than 40 million Connected TVs (CTVs) in Indian households by 2025. SVOD offerings such as Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, and Amazon are hugely popular, together with YouTube, and Facebook accounts for 85% of the $1.4 bn in revenue made by online video in 2020

    • India is witnessing a positive response with creators’ reach being 2X over brand reach, and creator conversion rate nearly 3X that of brands

    • 312 million Indian consumers are expected to make a purchase online in 2022 (source: eMarketer, June 2021). This is a steep jump from 208 mn online buyers in 2019 (CAGR of ~15%). India e-com penetration is only 28.4% of the population and remains significantly behind most of the developed and developing markets

    • India is also a significant contributor to ad fraud in the world. A report by Techarc says that India accounts for one in 10 digital ad frauds globally

    • 4G dominated Indian subscriptions, accounting for 68% of all subscriptions. This is expected to change significantly by 2027, where 5G is estimated to reach 39% of subscriptions, but 4G will remain the dominant technology

    • As per ICUBE 2020 report, the number of active internet users is projected to reach 900 million+ in 2025

    • Smartphone users reached 503 million in 2021. Smartphone telecom subscriptions are expected to reach 810 million in 2021 from 760 million in 2020.

    • 71% of Indian organizations use a blend of first-party (1P) and third-party (3P) data for marketing

    • 74% of consumers believe that buying sustainable products shows others who I am and what they believe in

    • 77% are prepared to invest time and money to support companies that do good.

     

  • 2021 got our Sporting Nation back to a billion-dollar scale with a 62% growth over 2020

    Sports Industry spends surpassed INR 9500 CR in 2021: GroupM ESP’s Sporting Nation Report 2022

    By Our Staff

     

    GroupM ESP, the entertainment, esports and sports division of GroupM India, has released the sports sponsorship report for India 2021. The size of the Indian sports industry spends is estimated to have surpassed INR 9500 Cr in 2021. The 9th edition of Sporting Nation in The Making, GroupM ESP’s sports report takes into consideration the sponsorship spends, player endorsements and media spends on sports properties.

     

    With INR 6018 Cr, Sports Adex surpassed 2019 levels in both TV and digital. Cricket yet again, remains the most popular sport, accounting for 94% of the sports AdEx. The media spends on cricket in 2021 was higher (INR 5657 Cr) than the overall media spends of 2019 (INR 5232 Cr). The spending on sports celebrity endorsement grew by 11% year-on-year in 2021. A total of 444 brand endorsement deals have happened in 2021, with cricketers accounting for 318 endorsement deals and 87% of total brand endorsement value. The Olympic Year of 2021 increased Emerging Sports Athletes’ endorsements by 79%, accounting for 13% of the overall brand endorsement value.

     

    Prasanth Kumar
    Prasanth Kumar

    Said Prasanth Kumar, CEO – GroupM South Asia: “2021 was a year of a major comeback for the sports industry. Not only in sports but we saw growth in sponsorships, endorsements, and media expenses in 2021. This year will also be a good re-start point for brands to invest in sports properties since sports will see a rise and will in-turn deliver ROI to brands. Apart from this, we even saw esports gaining significant traction and there was a major rise in the number of gamers in the country. Properties like PKL, ISL, etc. are also seeing a major rise in followers which goes to show that India is heavily invested in overall sports from an interest and inquisitiveness standpoint. As for cricket, we are seeing a growing interest by Foreign private equity giants investing in Indian cricket which is proving that Cricket will continue seeing a huge surge in India and with 2021 getting cricket back on track, we are seeing 2022 racing ahead, aiming to cross INR 10,000 Cr mark.”

     

    Vinit Karnik

    Added Vinit Karnik, Head – Sports, Entertainment and Esports, GroupM South Asia: “India as a Sporting Nation has finally arrived, overcoming all barriers brought in by the pandemic. Cricket being the hero of India, contributed 88% of the sports spends. IPL and T20 WC boosted the sports AdEx growth. We also saw emerging sports contributing 12% on the overall sports  spends. The media spends in 2021 were the biggest contributors, who accounted for almost two-thirds of all sports industry spending. While sports celebrity endorsement was on the rise in 2021, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Neeraj Chopra and PV Sindhu are the top athletes in the sports celebrity brand endorsement space. 2022 will be an exciting year with the Asian Games, FIFA World Cup, Premier Badminton League, and many more properties coming up, and the fans are in for a treat. The sports arena is an exciting drive ahead from the fanbase lens and the business lens too and we have a host of opportunities in the Indian sports industry.”

     

  • Sardar Udham, Sherni, The Great Indian Kitchen among others nominated

    Nominees for Critics’ Choice Awards announced

    By Our Staff

     

    Motion Content Group of GroupM, in Collaboration with Film Critics Guild and Vistas Media Capital has come up the 4th edition of Critics’ Choice Awards to honour the talent in web series, short films and feature films.

     

    Said Anupama Chopra, Chairperson Film Critics Guild: “We are thrilled to announce the feature film nominees for the fourth edition of the Indian Critics’ Choice Awards.  Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, the level of artistry and storytelling has not faltered. These awards are a celebration of that indomitable spirit of Indian cinema.”

     

    Added Prasanth Kumar, CEO – GroupM South Asia: “Despite the pandemic, 2021 witnessed incredible output with breakthrough performances. We at Critics’ Choice Awards believe that we truly are at the forefront in identifying and felicitating creators and their craft for the fabulous work put in. It is important to recognize talent and award them for their best efforts. We are delighted to present the nominations for the outstanding work done in 2021. We would like to thank filmmakers, directors, writers, and artists, who have worked extremely hard to give us compelling movies amid unprecedented competition.”

     

  • Digital will be the largest medium, taking up 45% marketshare in 2022

    GroupM forecast for 2022: 22.2% AdEx growth

     

     

    By Our Staff

     

    WPP-owned media investment conglomerate GroupM has  announced its  advertising expenditure (AdEx) forecasts for 2022. As per the GroupM futures report ‘This Year, Next Year’ (TYNY) 2022, the adspends are estimated to reach 107,987crs in 2022. This represents the estimated growth of 22% for the calendar year 2022. India will be the fastest-growing market among the top 10 global markets and retains its 9th rank in 2022, as per the report. See GroupM TYNY2022 deck.

     

    Commenting on the TYNY 2022 report, Prasanth Kumar, CEO, GroupM South Asia said, “The pandemic has pushed the envelope towards digital and has hence topped the pie, with advertisers keen to explore more of it. Ecommerce and Telco will drive the economy, we also expect FMCG and auto to slowly catch up and contribute towards this growth.”

     

    Added Tushar Vyas, President – Growth and Transformation, GroupM South Asia: “With the pivot to digital by consumers and companies alike, digital emerges as the largest medium in 2022 with an estimated share of 45%.  Digital is estimated to grow by 33% in 2022. As digital capabilities enhance and connectivity becomes omnipresent, technology will further poise and change almost every sector of India’s economy.”

     

    Said Parthasarathy Mandayam, Chief Strategy Officer, GroupM South Asia: “With consumers gravitating towards themes like sustainability and sensitivity, brands are adapting rapidly, and media has the power to lead this change. Flexible, specialist and distributed teams are the order of the day and this trend will be further enhanced with the arrival of 5G. The emphasis on performance marketing has further accelerated and is at the very core of marketing. Intelligent & responsible leverage of first-party data will be critical for brands & marketers in driving this.”

     

    Said Atique Kazi, President – Data, Performance & Digital Products, GroupM India: “Marketers will have to bring together innovation, intelligence and integration in their strategy to win on Digital. In 2022; we will also see addressable TV coming to India in some scalable form and connected tv surge with smart TV sales and new fibre/broadband connections will be on the rise. Focusing on eCommerce, performance marketing, outcome-based media and addressable data is winning formula in 2022.”

     

    Added Sidharth Parashar, President – Investments & Pricing, GroupM India: “While digital is set to take the larger pie, we are expecting a noteworthy revival for OOH & cinema too after a tough period. Advertising on e-commerce, the rise of influencers and short format videos along with OTT has witnessed growth in 2021, which would continue in 2022.”

     

    Said Ashwin Padmanabhan, President – Partnerships & Trading, GroupM India: “The rapid digital transformation of companies, brands and the way they connect with consumers is reflected in the global advertising spends as well as the way even traditional media is expanding with their digital extensions. India in 2022 will see a rapid manifestation of these Global trends and thus fundamentally altering the media industry.”

     

  • Amin and Maps will continue to drive growth and transformation agenda for clients and internal stakeholders

    Parthasarathy ‘Maps’ Mandayam is CSO for GroupM South Asia & Amin Lakhani as CEO – Mindshare South Asia

    By Our Staff

     

    GroupM, the media investment group of WPP, has announced the appointment of Parthasarathy Mandayam (Maps) as Chief Strategy Officer – GroupM South Asia and Amin Lakhani as Chief Executive Officer – Mindshare South Asia, a position held until now by Maps.

     

    The role of GroupM Chief Strategy Officer will be to channel data, technology, consumer understanding to chart the growth and transformation agenda. Map’s appointment into the new role is part of the strategy that envisions doubling the focus with a significant shift on new-age technologies, products and offerings that require a transformation of both GroupM and client businesses. He will report to Prasanth ‘PK’ Kumar, CEO GroupM South Asia.

     

    Said Parthasarathy ‘Maps’ Mandayam: “I am extremely grateful to have such an amazing journey at GroupM. I think learning and change have always been a part of my career here. Furthermore, as our offerings become more specialised, we need to ensure synergy and seamless flow of expertise between the various players both internal, WPP and external to get the full benefits of both scale and specialisation. As I steer through this journey I will continue to push forward with the growth and transformation agenda to bring in significant synergies between new-age data, technology, consulting, products and offerings for our clients and internal stakeholders.”

     

    Added Lakhani: “We want to build on this existing momentum and drive Mindshare ‘Good Growth’ for our clients. New age data, technology, creativity, research, consulting, and products will play a major role in this journey. Our industry has always witnessed change. We’ve been at the centre of it and currently, the world is also witnessing this. Hence as marketers, we need to take charge and lead this journey for our clients and brands. I am excited for this next phase of my journey, and I would like to thank the team for believing in me.”

     

    Lakhani  will report to Prasanth Kumar, CEO GroupM South Asia and Helen McRae, CEO Mindshare Asia Pacific.

     

    Said McRae: “Both Maps and Amin are distinguished leaders who have brought energy, skill and leadership, to the Mindshare Group over the past few years in office. They have both led the agency with their invaluable expertise bringing immense value for our clients and internal teams. Mindshare’s achievements and client success journeys over the last few years narrate the business acumen of both Maps and Amin. I congratulate them both and wish them the very best for their new roles!”

     

    Added Prasanth ‘PK’ Kumar: “We have witnessed a significant consolidation of existing businesses, with deeper penetration of our new core offerings under their tutelage. Both have been instrumental in strengthening and reinvigorating the agency as it stands today. I have the utmost confidence in their expertise and know that both Maps and Amin will continue to drive innovation and further transformations in their future roles. I wish them the very best!”

     

  • INCA's India Influencer Marketing Report

    Influencer marketing will be INR 900cr: GroupM Study

    By Our Staff

     

    INCA, GroupM’s brand-safe influencer and content marketing solution unit, announced the release of The India Influencer Marketing Report last weekend. The report looks at all aspects of the industry including trends and the impact of regulation.

     

    Prasanth Kumar

    Commenting on the report, Prasanth Kumar, CEO – GroupM South Asia said: “Over the last few years, brands have shown significant interest in influencer marketing. The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of influencer marketing by brands making it an integral part of the brand marketing strategy and is now an important part of our media mix recommendation to brands. The key factor that has got brands interested is the bond of trust and authenticity that influencers share with their audiences, thus helping brands associate with an influencer to leverage the same. This report is our effort to help marketers understand various aspects of influencer marketing in the country. Consumer behaviour is changing at a fast pace, and we want to empower marketers with the knowledge that can help them.”

     

    Ashwin Padmanabhan
    Ashwin Padmanabhan

    Added Ashwin Padmanabhan, President – Partnerships and Trading of GroupM India: “Influencer marketing industry is at a point of inflexion and can take off, subject to the industry initiating to measure, quantify and make investments in influencer marketing accountable. The ‘India Influencer Marketing Report’ is GroupM and INCA’s attempt to do the same. Not only have we tried to quantify the industry, but we have also attempted to define and standardize the various formats and industry terms. We hope this report will catalyse the industry and ensure the power of influencers is harnessed effectively!”

     

  • Forecasts 50% consumers likely to increase festive spends in 2021

    MMA, GroupM & Amazon advertising launch festive season playbook

    By Our Staff

     

    MMA, GroupM and Amazon Advertising have launched the ‘Decoding Consumer behavior and Winning the 2021 Festive Season Playbook, a handbook for marketers on expected consumer sentiment along with recommended strategies for Diwali this year.

     

    Said Tushar Vyas, President – Growth and Transformation, GroupM South Asia: “Digital influence in consumer journeys has increased significantly while the e-commerce adoption has accelerated in last 18 months. Hence, Digital is no more a support media platform but is core to media plans.  Ecommerce platforms offer brands the opportunity to hand-hold consumers across the purchase funnel by not only aiding in active/passive brand discovery but also in closing the loop by measuring performance objectively. This playbook contains several key insights and is a must-read for any marketer who is planning for the festive season.”

     

    Added Vijay Iyer, Director-Ad Sales, Amazon Advertising India: “Digital is a part of our lives now like never before and the influence is only increasing. Ecommerce portals act as gateways to this world that we are so quickly embracing and are playing a crucial role in brand and product discovery. For marketers, this presents an unprecedented opportunity – to be able to identify and leverage customer intent at an unprecedented scale. This playbook will help brands in not only sharpening their online strategy, but will redefine how they measure and drive business outcomes.”

     

    Moneka Khurana, Country Head, MMA India commented: “MMA is proud to have co-authored the white paper in collaboration with GroupM and Amazon Advertising to provide the much needed insights and guidance for the upcoming festive season for the ecosystem helping brands navigate the challenging times and drive optimal visibility and performance . 76%of marketers mentioned they will be allocating more spends for digital as compared to last year. Hence it’s key to understand omnichannel users better in the changing times as we continue to drive the narrative of shaping the future of marketing.”