Tag: GroupM

  • Landmine blast near LoC, 2 Army personnel injured

    Two Army personnel were injured in a landmine blast near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Friday, officials said.

    “In the wee hours, during patrolling at Googaldara near LoC in Trehgam area of the north Kashmir district, two army personnel got injured in a landmine blast,” the officials said.

    The two personnel have been admitted to the army hospital in Drugmulla and their condition is stable

  • EssenceMediacom promotes Averill Sequeria to Chief Strategy Officer

    EssenceMediacom, the GroupM media agency, has elevated Averill Sequeria to Chief Strategy Officer in India.

    Said Navin Khemka, CEO – EssenceMediacom South Asia: “Averill’s appointment as Chief Strategy Officer at EssenceMediacom India embarks on a new phase of creative strategies and growth, highlighting our commitment to excellence in media strategy. She is a proven leader and change agent with an impressive track record of strategic innovation. With her vast experience, we are confident she will drive significant progress and accelerate our ongoing success.”

    Sequeira will be based out of the Bengauru office and report into Navin Khemka.

  • GroupM appoints Praseed Prasad as Chief Growth Officer

    Praseed Prasad
    Praseed Prasad

    GroupM India has announced the appointment of Praseed Prasad as Chief Growth Officer. In its newly created role, Prasad will lead GroupM’s growth, marketing and communications.

     

    In a homecoming of sorts, Prasad has held key roles within GroupM, including heading digital trading and overseeing digital investments for all GroupM clients. , returning back to GroupM, brings a wealth of experience to this position. This is prior to joining IceCream Labs in 2015. Earlier he has had stints at Flipkart, where he ran the Ad Agency Business and led Media and Partnerships, as well as at Google, where he managed Media Operations for EMEA markets and later ran the Google APAC Agency and Partner business.

     

    Said Prasanth Kumar, CEO – GroupM South Asia: “It is great to have Praseed back to GroupM as Chief Growth Officer. His extensive experience in understanding client needs, strategic initiatives, industry knowledge, and cross-functional collaboration positions will help us enhance our market growth. His track record underscores his ability to navigate complex ecosystems and deliver results. We anticipate that his leadership will directly benefit our clients and the brands we work with, driving innovation and enhancing performance.”

     

    Added Prasad: “I am delighted to return to GroupM where I grew during the early days of my career and spent more than a decade setting up new business units and functions. I look forward to strengthening opportunities for our clients and brands that will allow me to apply my experiences to help grow the GroupM business onwards and upwards. Am excited to collaborate with all the agency teams to help drive our clients’ business impact and deliver them exceptional growth.”

     

    Praseed will be based out of GroupM’s Bengaluru office and report into Prasanth Kumar.

  • GroupM elevates Ashwin Padmanabhan

    Ashwin Padmanabhan
    Ashwin Padmanabhan

    GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, has announces the elevation of Ashwin Padmanabhan as Chief Operating Officer for South Asia. He will continue to be based out of Gurugram and report to Prasanth Kumar, CEO – GroupM South Asia.

    Padmanabhan will now oversee a streamlined structure that brings together GroupM’s extensive and diversified key practices. This includes Influencer Marketing, Content, OOH offering and Nexus. Investments, Trading, Partnerships, Motion and Entertainment will continue to be part of his portfolio. Ashwin’s strategic vision will play a pivotal role in seamlessly integrating GroupM’s diversified services, to develop and deliver a best-in-class solution that unlocks value for clients and GroupM.

    Said Prasanth Kumar, CEO – GroupM South Asia: “Ashwin’s deep understanding of client requirements and industry ecosystems and his proven track record ensures a seamless alliance across respective domains. He will continue to drive synergies across multiple practices emphasizing simplicity and consolidation to consistently deliver outstanding client work.”

  • India shining at 9.5% growth….

    India shining at 9.5% growth….

    GroupM has released the 2024 Global Midyear Forecast for its annual This Year Next Year forecast and study. As per the study, advertising revenues (spends) in 2024 will touch $18.5 billion in India, which points to a 9.5% growth in the year. The forecast for 2024 is 8.7%. It may be recalled when GroupM had released its TYNY numbers in February this year (2024), the forecast growth for 2024 was 10.2%.

    “We estimate that global advertising revenue will grow 7.8% in 2024 to $989.8 billion. The industry will surpass one trillion in revenue in 2025, increasing 6.8% to $1.1 trillion, one year earlier than we forecast in December of 2023. We have also revised estimates for the US, which we now expect to reach $365.9 billion in ad revenue, up 5.8% over 2023’s $345.9 billion (excluding the impact of political advertising in both years). The great economic engines of the U.S. and China, which together make up 57.1% of global ad revenue, are clearly the largest drivers of growth, adding $44.5 billion to their totals in 2024 (excluding U.S. political spending) — nearly 1.5 times the cumulative $27.4 billion in incremental revenue for all other markets combined. They are also home to 22 of the top 25 global media sellers and account for more than 40% of global GDP.

    Indis is third highest in growth rates as per the GroupM data. China is at 14% growth in 2024 and Brazil is at 11.3%. In 2025, China growth is estimated to be 10.8% while Brazil will top the list at 12.4%. In absolute terms, China ad revenues for 2024 is 199.4 bn and Brazil stands at 21.3 bn. All figures are in US dollars.

    The GroupM TYNY 2024 Global Midyear Forecast also adds: “The marketing ecosystem over the next few years will face potential impacts from governments and regulatory bodies across the world — impacts that have the potential to upend forecasts and alter even the most sound projections. On top of that, such projections can be skewed by two major players, China and the U.S. Their governments and their major companies have the power to shape vast aspects of the global economy.

    “Artificial Intelligence also has the potential to reshape the industry — as do regulations put in place to guide (or control) its growth. Those regulations, of course, depend on politicians, which in turn are determined by upcoming election cycles.

    “Despite some reactionary moves toward protectionism from some of those politicians, we can see the power and enduring appeal of shared experiences brought by globalisation, whether it be a Korean series rocketing to the top of the Netflix charts, or Rema bringing Afrobeats to Spotify’s top songs list. You can see it, too, in increasingly global fan bases for sports.

    “With increased globalisation – of financial systems, commerce, and media – can come a level of resilience as interconnected systems such as coral reefs tend to be very adept at recovering from multitudinous small shocks. Innovation, the exchange of ideas, and a shared goal to make the advertising industry work better for everyone will help ensure a bright future.

  • EssenceMediacom secures mandate for Wonder Cement

    EssenceMediacom, GroupM’s media agency has announced winning the media mandate for Wonder Cement, after partnering with BCCI to secure them as the official umpire partner for the IPL.

    Said Navin Khemka, CEO, EssenceMediacom – South Asia: “We are witnessing a paradigm shift in how brands engage with their audiences. Through this partnership we look forward to being a part of Wonder Cement’s ambition in becoming India’s foremost cement company. By leveraging innovation and technology, we aim to deliver outstanding results for both the fans and the company. This victory reaffirms our commitment to building stronger teams and creating innovative, tailored solutions for our clients.”

    Added Vinit Karnik, Head, Sports E-Sports and Live Entertainment, GroupM – South Asia: “Securing the media mandate for Wonder Cement underscores our agency’s expertise in positioning brands at the forefront of their industries. By harnessing advanced technology and innovative strategies, we are poised to elevate Wonder Cement’s profile as a leading cement producer in India. This partnership with the IPL exemplifies our commitment to leveraging sports marketing to drive brand growth and visibility, and we are thrilled to contribute to Wonder Cement’s ambitious journey.”

    Said Vivek Patni, Director, Wonder Cement: Wonder Cement is a gold standard when it comes to quality. BCCI represents the highest standard in the world of cricket. Partnering with BCCI for IPL is in line with our philosophy of maintaining the highest quality standards be it in our products or our associations and partnership.

    IPL is the most watched sports across continents. And it is a matter of pride and happiness to be seen on the National stage and what better way than IPL? This partnership is a significant step towards building a brand that spells quality, commitment and excellence.”

  • Wavemaker is Media Agency oof the Year, ABP Publisher of the Year

    Wavemaker is Media Agency oof the Year, ABP Publisher of the Year

    It’s now become a winning habit for GroupM agency Wavemaker. On the first day of the Goafest 2024, Wavemaker India was crowned Media Agency of the Year at Abby Awards Powered by One Show. They bagged 16 metals. Earlier, ABP Ltd bagged the Publisher of the Year titled with five metals.

    The EssenceMediacom team winning the sole Grand Prix Media Abby for Airtel 5G Plus Ultimate Fans: Look Maa! I am on TV

    The Wavemaker tally include four golds, nine silvers and three bronzes. The sole Grand Prix presented was won by GroupM agency EssenceMediacom for Airtel 5G Plus campaign #LookMaImOnTV for innovative use of branded content – integration.

    While Wavemaker scored 98 points, the next best was less than half that at 48. That was Initiative Media. EssenceMedia secured 42 points.

    The ABP Pvt Ltd team winning the Publisher of the Year Abby

    Like last year’s edition, the Abby Awards are powered by One Show and have received a total of 3506 entries as against 3301 last year. As many as 73 entrants for the Media Abby as against 63 last year. In Creative, there are 198 entrants as against 181 last year. The total number of entries for Media Abby were 1258 this year (up from 1019 last year) and in the various categories under Creative, it’s been 2248 this year, as against 2282 last year. Digital, Mobile, and Technology, have collectively garnered 626 entries from 75 companies.

    The gates for receiving entries had to be shut as per deadline, we were told, else, the entries for Creative Abby would’ve crossed last year’s tally.

    There were 23 jury chairs and 204 jurors across 23 categories. Of these there were 53 new, young, award-winning judges. There were 68 women amongst the judges (nine jury chairs are women).

    Publisher Abby

    Media Abby

  • Dimpy Yadav joins Mindshare as Head of Digital Strategy

    Mindshare, the media services company that is part of GroupM and WPP, appoints Dimpy Yadav as the new Head of Digital Strategy. Dimpy’s expertise and experience will play a pivotal role in shaping Mindshare’s digital narrative and enhancing our digital product offerings for both existing and new clients. She will be based out of Mindshare’s Gurgaon office.

    Amin Lakhani, CEO of Mindshare – South Asia said: “Dimpy’s wealth of experience and expertise will be invaluable in propelling our digital strategy forward. Her deep understanding of the digital landscape and track record of driving impactful results align perfectly with our vision for innovation and growth.

  • GroupM leads in COMvergence 2023 New Business Barometer

    COMvergence, the independent research and data consultancy which analyses mediaspend investments and produces benchmark studies on new business performances, released its latest New Business Barometer for FY 2023 for India.

    Maruti, Reckitt, PhonePe, Proctor & Gamble (digital), Swiggy, Pernod Ricard,Vivo Mobiles, Beiersdorf, Ferrero, Berger Paints and Jaguar Land Rover were among some of the account moves and retentions that dominated the Indian market from January 2023 to December 2023.

    The Media Agency Groups were led by GroupM by a wide margin with a total new business value of +$654M, followed by IPG Mediabrands at +$200M new business value and Omnicom Media Group with a new business value of +$128M.

    Wavemaker, Mindshare and Lodestar UM led the media agencies’ ranking followed by EssenceMediacom and Havas Media.

    In 2023 COMvergence, assessed an overall of 215 account moves and retentions, with media spends estimated to be around $1.5BN.  Out of these Local pitches dominated the Indian market, whilst 55% of the total pitches held globally were local in nature ( country specific pitches), making India  well above this average with 91%  of total pitches being local whereas global and multi- country pitches made up only 9% of the pie for India.

    2023 saw a whole of 192 local pitches estimated to be around $1399M and 23 global and multi market pitches were estimated to be around $132M in India.

  • Wavemaker & Mondelez shine @ Emvie 2024

    Wavemaker & Mondelez shine @ Emvie 2024

    The 24th edition of the Emvies, held last Friday (March22) saw Wavemaker India with 665 points recognised as ‘The Best Media Agency of the Year’ and Mondelēz India Foods Pvt. Ltd. with 440 points declared as ‘The Best Media Client of the Year’.

    Grand-EMVIE
    Grand EMVIE

    EMVIE - Client of the year
    EMVIE – Client of the year

    Grand EMVIE Thirty-five agencies participated to submit 1892 entries, of which 471 entries were shortlisted. Other than one Grand Emvie, 44 Gold and 68 Silver trophies were presented in addition to 88 Bronze prizes.

    Wavemaker India also bagged the Grand Emvie for Mondelēz India’s Cadbury Celebrations. Mindshare with 460 points stood second and EssenceMediacom with 325 points stood third. It was indeed a GroupM show at the top of the agency roster.

    The Emvie for Diversity Equality & Inclusion (DE&I) was awarded to Mindshare for Dove’s Stop The Beauty Test. The Young Emvie of The Year was awarded to Mindshare’s Rowena Rodrigues for Dove – Crafting Cannes-worthy Brilliance!

    Said Rana Barua, Group CEO of Havas India, South East, and North Asia, and President of The Advertising Club: “The calibre of work showcased at the Emvie this year was truly phenomenal. Standing out in their unique ways, each entry exemplified the exceptional quality of work our industry professionals consistently maintain, reaching global standards. We are delighted to celebrate these winners, whose creativity and strategic brilliance set a new standard for excellence. A heartfelt congratulations to all the winners for raising the bar in the media industry!”

    Added Punitha Arumugam, Chairperson, Emvies Committee: “The work submitted for Emvies continues to astound us. Each year, the innovative and ingenious campaigns elevate the industry’s brilliance to new heights. A huge congratulations to this year’s winners! The quality of work witnessed sets a remarkable standard in the media industry, and we are thrilled to see where the continuing work takes the industry next.”

    The prestigious awards were powered by TV9 Network, co-powered by The Times of India, in association with UltraTech Cement, and category sponsors Craving Digital, Celebrity Cricket League (CCL), and South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA).

    EMVIE 2024 AGENCY OF THE YEAR

    EMVIE 2024 CLIENT OF THE YEAR

    EMVIE 2024 RESULTS

  • 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
  • Goafest 2024 to sizzle from May 29 to 31, 2024

    By Our Staff

     

    The 17th edition of Goafest, the biggest advertising festival in South Asia, will be held from May 29 to 31, 20024 at the Grand Hyatt, Bambolim, Goa. Co-hosted by The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and The Advertising Club, Goafest 2024, the fest will showcase knowledge sessions, masterclasses, networking opportunities, partying, and of course the Abby Awards.

     

    The fest was held from May 24 to 26 last year, and while one thought it would be horribly hot, we thought it was pretty bearable.

     

    Prasanth Kumar
    Prasanth Kumar

    Said Prasanth Kumar, President of the Advertising Agencies Association of India and CEO of GroupM, South Asia: “Goafest has firmly established itself as the pinnacle of creative celebrations in South Asia, uniting the foremost talents in the creative and marketing realms. Our goal is to offer our industry peers an immersive experience over three days filled with learning, meaningful engagement, interactivity, and curiosity.”

     

    Rana Barua
    Rana Barua

    Added Rana Barua, President of The Advertising Club and Group CEO of Havas India, South East, and North Asia: “Every year, The Abby One Show Awards at Goafest stand as a testament to the biggest and most prestigious awards in the Indian advertising industry, celebrating innovative and groundbreaking ideas. Once again, I invite the brilliant minds of Indian advertising to join the celebrations and embark on an exciting journey at Goafest 2024, where creativity takes the spotlight.”

     

    Jaideep Gandhi
    Jaideep Gandhi

    Said Jaideep Gandhi, Chairperson of Goafest 2024: “Persistently, Goafest has progressed and pioneered, solidifying its status as the foremost advertising festival in India. From insightful knowledge-sharing sessions to featuring distinguished speakers, we are confident in welcoming global guests who will significantly contribute to the industry, particularly benefitting younger professionals. I would also like to mention that Mr Mohit Joshi, CEO of Havas Media has very kindly agreed to join me as Co-Chair and contribute immensely to take this event to greater heights.”