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Tag: Madison Media

  • Candid conversation with the Madison Media & OOH Group CEO and Equity Partner as he completes six months at the agency network

    Up, Close & Personal: Vikram Sakhuja

     

    Six months ago, Vikram Sakhuja quit GroupM to join Madison Media as Group CEO, Madison Media and OOH and Equity Partner, working closely with his former professional rival Sam Balsara. Bursting with ideas on how to take both Madison and its business forward, Sakhuja opens up to Pradyuman Maheshwari about his move out of the global role at GroupM and into Madison, his regard for Balsara and his plans for the agency network. Excerpts from the interview

     

    Six months at Madison last week. How has the journey been so far?

    In a word, fantastic. It’s everything I expected it to be, and perhaps a little more. But this is the long haul. So when one is entering into this thing, it’s with a Test match mentality, and not with the sensibility that things are broken and I have to fix them. If Sam [Balsara] has found a role for me to join him in leadership, it is probably to help with the next stage of evolution at Madison.

     

    So I think that’s the way I have approached it, and though I have been slow about it, purposely, it’s because I have been trying to drive a few agendas. In this interview I don’t think you will get too many silver bullets. You won’t even get any bombastic statements. But there will be a flow of thought, and you will see a process unfolding.

     

    You were familiar with the scene in India and at Madison having been out of the country for just a few years. Was it different from what you had expected it to be when you came in?

    Not at all. I had a fantastic time running GroupM’s South Asia operations for six years, and Mindshare before that. I have loved every bit of my WPP tenure in India. It was interesting because I was doing South Asia and then I was a part of the Asia Pacific management team but based in this part of the world. So after that, to suddenly do a global thing, a few things struck me.

     

    The GroupM role was more of an organisational enabling role. While we were building GroupM’s superstructure, a large part of it was to make the agency stronger — whether it was buying and trading, or putting in place; whether it was digital infrastructure or talent. A large part of that was about still enabling clients. But I had started noticing, in my early years at GroupM, that my client contact had gone down even though there was a lot of other exciting stuff happening. When you get to a global role, it becomes even more rarefied. Maxus, at that point of time, had more local than global clients. When you have local clients doing their job, you don’t want to get in the way. You have the standard ceremony and meeting clients and stuff, but you’re not adding tangible value. So the way you add value at a global agency leadership level is to set direction, drive P&L, drive the product and those kind of things. It is very internal.

     

    So you missed getting your hands dirty?

    Absolutely. At GroupM in India I wasn’t missing that because it was familiar turf. Even though I was not involved in client work per se, a lot of clients were old friends. So I have always had that steady contact and a relationship with clients at some level. That became a bit removed in the global Maxus setup, and even more when I was doing global strategy for GroupM.

     

    There was a sentiment that your leaving Maxus was very abrupt…

    It probably was. It was my boss who felt it would be better if I got out of the role and got into a strategy role, since they were doing something in the area of digital, data and stuff, and wanted me there. Even I felt it was abrupt.

     

    Even at GroupM, there was a fair amount of shock about your sudden exit from the Maxus top job.

    Yes, it was abrupt, and made me revaluate what I should really do. I had a feeling the global GroupM strategy role would frustrate me. The vision was interesting but the implementation would have been too slow for a person like me.

     

    And then this whole thing happened with Madison. How did you think of joining Sam because – even though he has been a friend and you have had some collaboration — at the end of the day, he is somebody whom you have fought so much against in the media agency battlefield. It’s almost like sleeping with the enemy…

    Actually way before we were competitors, we had a seven- or eight-year partnership. I was the one who started the practice of AORs in India when I was in P&G. I was in research and media at P&G when I heard the word AOR. When I asked my then-boss Vivek Bali about it, he suggested that instead of working with various agencies, we consolidate our media efforts. We organised a pitch and the [duties] were awarded to Sam. Then I moved to Coke, we got a pitch on there too. There were two pitches in that four-year period I was there, and Madison defended both.

     

    So I would say that my respect and affection for Sam has been there right from the beginning, even before I was a competitor. And it’s not only with Sam. We are blessed that in our industry, we have a mutual respect for other agency heads. Many of them are very good friends of mine, but we have no problem separating the professional from the personal.

     

    What are the things you are trying to bring in, at Madison?

    There are three things on the agenda. First, is this entire thing of outcomes. Then there is a piece about agency management, which is the way we want our people to conduct themselves and build teams. The outcomes piece, simply put, is that in the last 25 years, media has been about efficiency over effectiveness. Everybody coasts on impact, and the science of intelligently spending your marketing money to grow business, has become weaker. Today, you are able to not only measure output but also, to some degree, behavioural outcomes. So this is something I am hoping you will see a bit more of, in the coming months. I can’t announce it today but we have identified a chief strategy officer who will join us and I am very excited to have him. There is also a large outcomes-based thing I am trying to do since I have always believed that organisational culture is a total of all the conversations that happen in our workplace. So if I can get conversations going in corridors about what we are doing to grow the business of the client, I think it will make a qualitative and profound difference.

     

    For me, the biggest joy has been that I have come back and now almost 70 per cent of my 14-hour day involves client work, as against my earlier setup where it was less than 10 per cent of a 12-hour day.

     

    Are new businesses a part of your agenda?

    Yes, and we have won eight or nine [accounts] since October. Last April- May we won Snapdeal, which comes with Freecharge, and fills up a very large hole. The BJP remains an active client, and with all the Assembly elections, not insignificant.

     

    Is there a pressure on new business?

    Who is there to put pressure? Sam and I have to put pressure on ourselves. We watch the space; there are some categories in which we want to have some businesses. We would love to get a good car client or a telco…

     

    Was it expected of you, or did you think you could pull some clients from GroupM? Or was that not a part of your agenda?

    We all have certain non-poaching clauses relating to good clients and people in our contracts, so I was mindful of that. As per my contract, I was not allowed to work for six months, which I didn’t, and a few months after that, I was not allowed to poach people and clients.

     

    One has seen you interact with your former colleagues from GroupM at forums like Goafest. You are still very friendly and comfortable with each other…

    I have had a very close relationship with them and I am very fond of them. Some of them are like extended family. But you separate professional and personal relations. Firstly, they have to have a place in Madison. And second, everyone takes a professional call and I am not just going to [hire them] because they are friends. But if they feel that the way I lead or the way I am going to envision things can attract people then I don’t mind. Just because we are good friends will never be the reason.

     

    In your six months [at Madison], especially in your early days, did you feel that things were better here, or there [at GroupM]?

    Things are definitely better here. I was getting very frustrated in the global setup, by the lack of delivery that I had to show for. I had a good time at Maxus where I was driving a few agendas. Fortunately, in the two years that I led, Maxus saw fantastic growth.

     

    When you were at GroupM, especially in India, you were the boss and reporting to the Board etc. Here, Sam has a larger-than-life role in the organisation. Does that affect your day-to-day working?

    In the last six months, I have had no reason to feel constrained. Sam has given me all the space, but I also realise the kind of power that Sam brings to a party, is enormous. At GroupM, I was taking all the calls and it ended with me. Here, the responsibility is divided and it’s a very comfortable zone of working. He gives me all the space, and is very patient and receptive to what I have to say. So from that standpoint, he is my Martin Sorrell.

     

    You are comparing Sam to Sir Martin Sorrell?

    I am serious. In terms of capability, both are on par. Sam has a very well-honed sense of intuition that comes with having done something many times. He can break down complex issues and get to the heart of the problem. Martin Sorrell is also like that. He also gets to the heart of a complex problem and solves it…

     

    So you have the space? And you don’t feel stifled in any way?

    Yes, the space is there. I have a mentor to look up to. I have a boss that I can go up to and gets things validated. So I think it is very good. No, I am not feeling stifled in any way. Not at all.

     

    Everybody wants to know if and when Madison is going to sell out. You are still something of an outsider, so what is your view on this? Do you think Madison should be aligned with an international network?

    Because I have run a global agency, I have seen how difficult it is for global to impact local. I don’t believe any extra value can be added, apart from in the structure [in aligning with an international partner]. Even if I have quality talent, I will never be able to replicate the talent of a local agency. At the risk of sounding immodest, I believe that if an agency had to have pedigreed leadership, like with Sam and me, can that be replicated?

     

    But then it happened with Mondelez moving to Dentsu Aegis because of an international alignment…

    Yes, these are very frustrating, and for that reason alone, I think we should consider it. But that said, I don’t think there is a tearing hurry. It’s got to be the right value, the right partner. And frankly, it’s not a question you should be asking me. You should be putting it to Sam. But my view is exactly that: If there is the right value and the right partner, then why not?

     

    So what are you looking at over the next six months?

    I had mentioned the three agendas which I want to drive, like outcomes, One Madison [which is about integration] and internal agency management. Our ability to holistically look at clients’ requirements and present integrated solutions, makes for outcome-based thinking. On the consolidation side, buying is the obvious piece. I am trying to put a central buying unit in place which is going to drive a few agendas, and I would not like to talk about them right now. Automation is the third thing. These are all things that come under [an entity called] Madison Next.

     

    In terms of size, is there something you are looking at? Do you want Madison to be the same, or 1x, 1.5x or 2x bigger?

    I am definitely looking at pretty aggressive growth. At this point of time, we are the second-largest standalone agency after Mindshare, so we would definitely like to retain our position. We have to do whatever it takes to drive growth in the market.

     

    The part about agency management is, according to me, one of those critical values I can bring into this place. It has been run very entrepreneurially, and I would love it if we can get the spirit of entrepreneurship one or two levels down, so our divisional heads could become mini Sams. Then nobody will be able to stop us. But this is an HR piece and requires a talent game that you need to play. It starts with aggressive growth targets and comes down to a business plan, on the back of a [good] team that will deliver it. The part I think most agencies struggle with, is the empowerment of people who are the managers of managers. So there are two areas where empowerment is required: One is running the agency and the ability to take calls that a head of an agency does at an office level. And second is to be managers of managers so that when a junior person comes to you with a problem, plan, buy or whatever, you don’t just do the job but actually mentor and help the guy do the job.

     

    So in my next six months I’m going to put into place performance management in a very profound manner by setting up a training club programme in the agency which is going to develop people in a number of areas. And I will personally oversee one or two of them. Another part of Madison which would be a bit of both outcomes and bit of talent focuses on people. I am pleased we had Deboo Mohanty join us from the Asia Pacific for ITC. I am going to bring in a CSO who is going to be a gamechanger, so hopefully when we announce it, the market will also see that. A digital piece is something I’m doing now where I have restructured it and broken it up into two parts within Madison, with two people handling different parts which I oversee to gauge how that can be developed as a clear focus on digital. So I have given targets of what percentage of our billing needs to be going into digital because I just feel that we need to be more aggressive than we are right now and in the last six months, that has moved up considerably.

     

    Is there anything that is causing you an anxiety about the business?

    Staff turnover always causes me anxiety, especially at the junior levels. Even though that is normal in the industry, it causes me anxiety. I am a firm believer in something called an employee value proposition. I believe employees like to work for an organisation that stands for something good, with leadership you can look up to. They want to do good work, want to see growth and of course, want to be rewarded. You need a place where the culture is in sync with them. So the culture part we have to work on backwards, and I am fixing that by trying to figure the kind of conversations you want to have at the workplace and drive those.

     

    If you talk about leadership, I think we are blessed with people like Sam who is an icon. Madison is an agency people look up to. But I think all of this needs to be dialed up. So whether it is on the awards front, or whether it is a new business front people like to be associated with or just recognising and rewarding good work, those are the kind of things that we are trying to do to build a great organisation. Our systems are not bad, but we are putting in place things which will help develop performance, management, training plans, career plans and such. The minute an organisation is able to recognise and reward merit, respect for that organisation builds. So that’s a huge play for me.

     

    This interview first appeared in dna of brands on April 25, 2016

     

  • Mindshare topped the metals with 17 awards tally followed by Maxus with 7. Lodestar UM and Madison Media bagged six metals each

    Winnning ways for Mindshare

     

    Media agency major topped the metals tally at the Media Abby awards held on Day 1 of Goafest 2016. Mindshare was awarded two Golds, six Silvers and nine Bronze metals. The first runner-up was sibling Maxus with seven metals (one Gold, two Silvers and four Bronzes).

     

    The parameters we were looking for was work that is fresh and unique, said Pratap Bose, Jury Chair of the Media Awards, adding that the jury did not find any of the shortlisted entries making the cut for a Grand Prix, the highest level of the awards.

     

    Lodestar UM and Madison Media secured six metals each with four Silvers and two Bronze awards. New entrant The Social Street won two golds and two silvers.

     

    There were a total of 76 agencies which participated in the Media Abby, sending in 1015 entries this year. The number of jury members was 86 and a total of 77 metals were awarded (11 Golds, 36 Silvers and 30 Bronzes).

     

    For Prasanth Kumar, CEO, Mindshare South Asia, it is a continuation of the agency’s winning ways after the agency coming out tops at last year’s Emvies Awards of the Advertising Club. “Yes, we ended 2015 with 176 awards and this year has also been equally spectacular,” he said, adding that the emphasis is on providing innovative solution to clients to break the clutter and fragmentation.

     

    Along with the Media Abby, the Publisher Abby awards were also presented. Dainik Jagran newspaper was presented 10 of the 17 awards.

     

     

     

  • The estimated size of the account is around Rs 150 crores

    LeEco appoints Madison to handle media biz

    By A Correspondent

     

    Madison Media Omega, a part of Madison Media Group recently announced the win of LeEco in Bangalore.The estimated size of the account is around Rs 150 crores. The account will be handled out of the agency’s Bangalore office.

     

    LeEco,a new-age company of Chinese origin with market capitalization of more than USD 12 billion, recently debuted with two smartphones – the Le 1 s & Le Max.Founded in 2004, LeTV (subsequently, name changed to LeEco) has grown into a global conglomerate over the years. It offers live streaming, cloud, e-commerce, and smart TVs among other products and services.

     

    Meera Krishnan, Director Marcom, LeEco said, “We chose Madison Media after an exhaustive review of capabilities and reputation of media agencies. Madison’s meticulous planning and execution of the first launch campaign has drawn a fantastic response which has surpassed our ambitious expectation. We now are now on course to roll out more smartphone models as well as other exciting products from our Ecosystem in India.

     

    Vikram Sakhuja, Group CEO, Madison Media & OOH said, “Technology brands are redefining marketing in India, and it is very exciting for Madison to partner LeEco in launching what promises to be an altogether new experience in the exploding Smartphone category. We are delighted that our first campaign delivered extra-ordinary response in terms of bookings and sales.”

     

  • Anita Bose will head Madison Media's Delhi office

    Anita Bose joins Madison Media Plus as COO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Madison Media has announced the appointment of Anita Bose as its Delhi office head. Bose joins the agency from today (January 4) as COO, Madison Media Plus and will be responsible for driving the Delhi office and servicing its existing clients.

     

    Bose is a seasoned media agency professional with a rich and diverse media experience of over 20 years, of which she has spent 13 years at WPP media/GroupM agencies (Business Director at Mindshare, General Manager on Team LG and General Manager, MEC North). She has also worked for StarcomMediaVest as Exec Vice President of Vivaki Exchange and FCB Ulka and McCann Erickson. She regularly teaches at management institutes and is a Guest Faculty at Indian Institute of Mass  Communication.

     

    Said Vikram Sakhuja, Group CEO, Madison Media & OOH on the appointment, “I am delighted that Anita Bose will be leading Madison’s Delhi office. I have known her to be a very able administrator with a consistent track record of delivering Client delight. Today, business cycles have shortened, Brand plans are more fluid, and the media environment is in a much greater flux. A person like Anita has the unique skills to lend stability to chaos. I look forward to Madison Media Plus rising to new heights under her leadership.”

     

    Added Bose: “It is an honour to be associated with Madison Media and  work with accomplished industry veterans like Vikram Sakhuja and  Sam Balsara together. I am looking forward to empower the Delhi team so that we become an unbeatable winning team – committed & united, driven by client and industry needs – known to provide services that set industry standards.”

     

  • The account will be handled in Mumbai by Madison Media Sigma is estimated to have a spend of over Rs 40 crore annually

    Madison Media wins Policy Boss/Landmark Insurance Media AOR

    By A Correspondent

    Madison Media has bagged the Policy Boss/Landmark Insurance account in a multi-agency pitch. The account will be handled out of the agency’s Mumbai office by Madison Media Sigma is estimated to have a spend of over Rs 40 crore annually.

    Policy Boss/Landmark Insurance Brokers is a leading insurance broker and deals with all types of insurance ranging from car, health, term, travel, home, office to marine. Since its inception in 2003, Landmark has built a healthy footprint in the Indian insurance industry with a full presence in 19 cities, catering to more than 3 lakh customers and partneringwith majorly all the insurance service providers.

    Said Susheel Tejuja, MD, Policy Boss /Landmark Insurance, on choosing Madison Media, “Madison has helped establish world class brands in India and we are happy to associate and avail their experience in building our brand..”

    Added Vikram Sakhuja, Group CEO, Madison Media & OOH: “We are delighted with this new win and are looking forward to working and building Landmark Insurance’s online brand in the highly competitive online insurance space.”

     

  • The event will be held in Mumbai on January 15, 2016

    Ajay Kakar & Vikram Sakhuja to head Effies 2015

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Advertising Club announced the appointment of Ajay Kakar as Chairperson and Vikram Sakhuja as Co-chair for this year’s Effies Awards. The event will be held in Mumbai on January 15, 2016.

     

    In its 15th year, Effies will celebrate not only the advertising agency behind the campaign, but also the client.  Commenting on their appointment, Raj Nayak, President of The Advertising Club and CEO, Colors said, “The Effies is an institution by itself giving due recognition to campaigns that engage consumers thereby furthering a brand’s promise and proposition. I would like to congratulate Ajay Kakar and Vikram Sakhuja for this new project that they will be leading. The entire advertising community looks forward to the Effies and I am certain that they will strengthen its credibility within the industry.”

     

    Ajay Kakar

    Speaking on his appointment as the Chairperson, Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer, Aditya Birla Group – Financial Services said, “Over the past four  years that I have chaired the Effies, I have seen a growing support and participation. Every year has broken the record entries and number of participating agencies, from the previous year.‎ I believe this demonstrates the underlying need and demand for marketing campaigns that are not only creative, but more importantly, work for the brand and business. And I am confident that this year’s Effies will again beat last year’s record. And be even bigger and better.”

     

    Vikram Sakhuja

    Adding further, Co-chair Vikram Sakhuja, Group CEO, Madison Media & OOH, said, “For me it is imperative for advertising to drive demand and strengthen brand value. It is therefore an honour to be part of the Effies which is the undisputed champion of effectiveness in India and worldwide.”

     

    Earlier this year, Messrs Kakar and Sakhuja were also inducted as the new officebearers of The Advertising Club. While Sakhuja was elected as Secretary, Kakar was elected as Joint Secretary.

     

  • On Emvies Day, a look at how the case study presentations are essential for young & aspiring professionals

    How Emvies Case Studies Rule for Young Pros

     

    By Shephali Bhatt

     

    The Ad Club is celebrating ’15 Glorious Years of Emvies’ this year. Emvies doesn’t just award excellence in media planning, it celebrates the business of communication. It sees expats tweaking flight schedules to make sure they’re present to cheer their network. The energy, in all these years, has been infectious to say the least. But do the case study presentations, get the same love? Let’s find out: Just a day before the presentations, we saw this tweet on our timeline: https://twitter.com/S_kotnala/status/637942894318485504

     

    We agree time is a luxury not many media professionals have but INTRADIA consulting’s Kotnala, an ex-media man himself, makes a valid point. The case study presentations were spread over five days this year with at least 30 cases presented everyday. That’s great wealth of information for agencies (and their competition.) Or as Punitha Arumugam, agency director of media business at Google India and chief organiser of Emvies puts it, “Attending Emvies case study presentation is like going to a classroom.” Now, the choice between sitting in a classroom and attending a party is easy. But making a difficult choice might ensure a better reason to party next year, no?

     

    The participation has only improved over the years, says Arumugam, adding that most attendants are perhaps busy rehearsing for their presentations which is why you see lesser people in the room sometimes. But that’s a sign of how seriously they take their job at the dais. “We have to devise ways to get all of them back in the room though,” she admits.

     

    Come One, Come All

    Shekhar Banerjee, SVP and head – media at Madison Media Infinity and Pinnacle, observed a poor turnout on Day 1 but attributed it to inertia. “You always have a full house for prestige categories like Strategy and Integrated,” he points out. Perhaps the categories can be better arranged, he suggests, so that not all important ones fall on the same day. He also suggests that 24 Frames Digital – the live webcasting platform for the event – should employ two cameras instead of one, so the viewer sitting in his office can get a better sense of what’s happening. But as long as you can, try and attend the presentation event. More than anything, it allows for interactions with jury members and a sense of what’s being appreciated in real time.

     

    The Jury Has Spoken
    The teams’ presentation skills have been the jury’s pet peeve. It’s not so much about accent and intonation as it is about content and confidence. Says Aditya Save, CMO of Shaadi.com and one of the jurors, “The teams indulge in a kind of jingoism that doesn’t help. They should remember who they’re finally presenting to – the judges.”

     

    (We) Can Do Better
    Nikhil Mayne, senior director of branded content at GroupM was one of the presenters this time. He admitted a lot of presentations could be guilty of taking a page out of a dated soap opera script. And then there were those loaded with numbers corroborating the belief: If you can’t convince them, confuse them. “I think we tend to get lost in parameters like ‘reach’ and other numbers when mediums like digital go way beyond that. They are about being able to talk to the right user without causing spillage,” he admits.

     

    Even the analytics data category was marred by similar issues which led to it having a slightly soporific effect on some audience members. “For a data-driven industry, it’s ironic how poor our understanding of using data is,” he adds. Mayne points to an IBM case study they were hoping would win in the data category which fetched a shortlist in ‘social media’ instead. In the next four years, he hopes data will become the most sought after category.
    For all that, the Emvie presentations are unique: perhaps the only opportunity for young media folk to hone skills that will certainly be useful during pitches or even workaday presentations. They may create a next generation of media folk who are a lot more confident and articulate than their creative peers – considering the Effies have scrapped live presentations after trying them out for a year.

     

    Between the occasionally lame gags, jokes and inter-agency sniping, there’s often an undeniable youthful exuberance. The best presentations – which may or may not coincide with the most compelling cases – allow young media folk to actually practice one of the most abused words in the business – storytelling.

     

    Pick from the shorlisted case studies

    Colgate Palmolive: ‘Sugar Receipt’

    Agency: MEC

    Category: Best Media Innovation – Events/Experiential Marketing and Best Media Innovation – Direct Marketing

    To catch the attention of customers who actually bother to check their bill, Colgate seeded sugar receipts along with grocery bills at select malls. This was to highlight the danger of cavity owing to the extra sugar in their grocery items. Based on the sugar content, consumers were given adequate discounts on Colgate maximum cavity protection toothpaste. The presentation showed a Bengali couple fighting over extra sugar in their bill which was thoroughly entertaining. On day two, the couple was accompanied by a rat on stage but that didn’t deter their enthralling performance. As they say, the show must go on!

     

    Lenskart: Eye for an Eye

    Agency: DDB Mudra Group
    Category: Best Media Innovation – Events/Experiential

    Lenskart organised an eye donation camp specifically inviting transgenders, right after the Supreme Court awarded them equal status as the male and female community. The presentation centered around the thought – ‘Those who can’t see being helped by those who can’t be seen.’

     

    Ariel: Share the load

    Agency: Mediacom
    Category: Best Integrated Campaign – Consumer Products and Best Media Innovation – Branded Content

    Ariel’s claim to have removed the stain of inequality in one wash with ‘Share the load’ was well received by the audience. Bonus points for not dishing out the same presentation on different days given it was nominated in multiple categories. And it’s not just the presentation that shone through, the product sales went up by 60 per cent, they claim.

     

    Lenovo: By Gamers for Gamers

    Agency: Mindshare
    Category: Best Media Innovation – Digital – Video

    Lenovo got top gamers to influence the gaming ecosystem about Lenovo products that have a good processor, illuminated keyboard, high-res display, better sound – all necessary armoury for a dedicated gamer. Where most entries in the digital category spoke about reach, this one made a strong case of using the medium to talk to the right set of people to avoid spillage. The result? Lenovo experienced an 80 per cent increase in traffic on its online store.

     

    Zee News: The Misunderstood Scoreboard

    Agency: DDB Mudra Group
    Category: Best Media Innovation – Out of Home

    15th Feb: India against Pakistan, ICC World Cup. Zee News installed four billboards, one each in J&K, New Delhi, Lahore and Karachi. They looked like manual scoreboards. Only instead of showing the runs each team made, they ended up clocking the total number of lives lost in all the India-Pak battles since 1947. The message: When lives are lost, no one wins. The activity garnered half a million views.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2015, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • The account will be handled out of the agency's Delhi office

    Madison Media wins OYO Rooms mandate

    By A Correspondent

     

    Madison Media Plus, a part of Madison Media Group has just announced the win of OYO Rooms. The account was won in a multi-agency pitch. The account will be handled out of the agency’s Delhi office.

     

    OYO Rooms is India’s largest branded network of hotels founded by young entrepreneur, 21-year-old Ritesh Agarwal. OYO Rooms currently operates in more than 100 Indian cities including Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Goa, Chennai, Kolkata and others. OYO is present in major metros, regional hubs, leisure destinations and pilgrimage towns. According to a research carried out by CB Insights for The New York Times, OYO Rooms is among the companies that may be the next start-up unicorns.The company is backed by investors like the Softbank Group, Lightspeed India, Sequoia Capital and Greenoaks Capital.

     

    Says Abhinav Sinha, Chief Operating Officer, OYO Rooms, on selecting Madison Media, “Madison is the biggest name in marketing communications and we are very proud to be associated with them. I am sure that under the able leadership of Mr. Sam Balsara, the Madison team will take OYO to new heights and we will soon be a household name. At OYO, we believe that everybody deserves an amazing experience when staying out of home, and, it is great that Madison will be taking OYO’s message to the people.”

     

    Sam Balsara

    Sam Balsara, Chairman & Managing Director, Madison World, “I am delighted that we have won this young but extremely promising business and are looking forward to help OYO Rooms become a household name in the country. It is really exciting to see such a young entrepreneur making a mark so early in life.”

     

  • Pitch-Madison Media Advertising Outlook revises its 2015 forecast upwards

    Adspend on TV grows sharply by 21%: Pitch Madison revised forecast

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Pitch-Madison Media Advertising Outlook has revised its forecast for 2015 upwards. Against the original forecast of 9.6% growth, projected in February 2015, the study has now revised its forecast upwards to 13.8% for the total advertising market. This upward revision is because of a steep increase in spends on TV during January-June 2015 period of  20.6%, a communiqué notes. This growth rate is likely to extend to the second half of the year too, resulting in a sharp growth in the TV advertising market of as high as 21%.  Such a high growth rate is unprecedented and has not been achieved in the last 5 years.

     

    Madison Media has not revised its forecast for Print, Radio, Cinema, Outdoor or Digital, which were earlier projected to grow as per table alongside, since it does not anticipate any major change in the growth rate projected, although actual growth rates for these media too may be marginally higher than the originally projected growth rates.

     

    Pitch Madison Media Advertising Outlook – 2015 Revised
     

    Original Growth Forecast 2015

    Revised Growth Forecast 2015 
    Television

    10%

    21%
    Print

    5%

    5%
    Radio

    6%

    6%
    Cinema

    9%

    9%
    Outdoor

    6%

    6%
    Digital

    29%

    29%
    Total

    9.6%

    13.8%
    Total Market Value

    Rs. 40,658 crore

    Rs. 42,234 crore

     

    The increase in the  advertising market from earlier projected 9.6% to 13.8% for full year and for TV advertising from earlier 10% to 21% for the full year, will result in the total market reaching Rs. 42,234 crore in 2015.

     

    Says Sam Balsara, Chairman Madison World, “If BJP promised Achhe din to all Indians, they have certainly arrived for the Indian Television Industry. A 21% growth coming on the back of a 14% growth in 2014 and without the Elections is quite unprecedented and shows the optimistic outlook of industry in Indian markets and the aggressive stance they are willing to take to protect and grow their market share. The growth is also significant in the light of growing conversations around Digital.”

     

    Highlights of advertising spending on TV in the period January-June 2015:

    TV spends have increased by 21% in H1’15 with total revenue of  Rs. 8200 crore as against Rs. 6800  crore in H1’14.

    a. The main categories who have fuelled the overall growth in H1’15 are E-commerce (+70%), Automobiles (+55%) and FMCG (13%). HH Durables and BFSI categories also increased their ad spends by more than 45%. FMCG has been largest contributor in absolute terms contributing as much as Rs. 4,200 crore and accounts for 51% of the total TV spend. E-Commerce players grew by 70% and now account for 6% of the market.

    b. Total FCT volume across all genres/channels has increased by 14%. FCT of SD channels increased by 11% and HD channels by 224%.

    c. Overall FCT of SD feed on Hindi Mass Genres (GEC + Movies) has increased by 8% comparing like to like channels.

    d. Many channels have telecast more than 12 mins/hr of FCT across all leading channels resulting in increase in ad revenue.

    e. New channel launches in Hindi Mass Genres (Sony Max2, Epic & TV, Sony Pal, Zindagi) from existing bouquets and spends on HD channels also resulted in a hike in advertising revenues.

    f. ICC Cricket world Cup, IPL, Delhi State Elections also contributed to the overall growth in H1’15.

    g. Finally, in H1’15 TV is the largest contributor to the total advertising pie with a share of 40% as compared to 38% in 2014.

     

  • Earlier, the media buying duties for the brand were with Havas Media

    Madison Media wins Media AOR of Shaadi.com

    By A Correspondent

     

    Madison Media Sigma has won the media mandate of Shaadi.com, one of the largest matchmaking portals in India. Madison Media Sigma was chosen after a multi-agency pitch. The account will be handled out of the agency’s Mumbai office and the estimated size of the account is Rs. 50 crores. Earlier, the media buying duties for the brand were with Havas Media.

     

    Shaadi.com, one of India’s best known brands and the world’s largest matchmaking service was founded with a simple objective – to help people find happiness. The company pioneered online matchmaking in 1996 and continues to lead this exciting category for more than a decade. By redefining the way Indian brides and grooms meet for marriage, Shaadi.com has created a world-renowned service that has touched over 30 million people.

     

    Says Aditya Save, Chief Marketing Officer, Shaadi.com on selecting Madison Media, “We believe that great marketing work requires able agency partnerships & hence are delighted to have Madison Media Sigma as our media partners. We are looking forward to working with them to do some innovative & disruptive media work.”

     

    Sam Balsara

    Sam Balsara, Chairman & Managing Director, Madison World said, “I am delighted that Shaadi.com has found Madison Media to be worthy of handling their unique business. We are thrilled to be associated with Shaadi.com. Matchmaking in itself is challenging and partnering with World’s No 1 Matchmaking Service is a big responsibility. With our strong experience of clutter-breaking, engaging communication campaigns across industries, we are confident of taking the brand to greater heights.”

     

    Madison Media Group has been on an account winning spree, having won a host of new businesses in 2015 including Snapdeal, Viber, Lenskart.com, Zivame.com, Metro Cash & Carry, Gaana.com, Cricbuzz.com, Amul Hosiery, DHFL and Bandhan Bank, amongst others.

     

  • Madison Media will now be the Media Agency of Snapdeal effective July 1, 2015 but work on the account will start almost immediately, informs a communique

    Madison Media snaps up Snapdeal wef July 1

    By A Correspondent [updated]

     

    Madison Media Plus, a part of Madison Media Group, has just announced the win of Snapdeal. The account – run by OMD – was won after a multi agency pitch. The account will be handled out of the agency’s Delhi office. Madison Media will now be the Media Agency of Snapdeal effective July 1, 2015 but work on the account will start almost immediately, informs a communiqué.

     

    Said Srinivas Murthy, Senior Vice President – Marketing, Snapdeal.com on selecting Madison Media, “We are very happy to have Madison partner with us on media going forward. They bring tremendous experience across categories, with learnings across multiple growth industries that can be leveraged for us. Madison is known for the high quality of media professionals and we look forward to them helping us drive our business to new heights.”

     

    Sam Balsara

    Added Sam Balsara, Chairman & Managing Director, Madison World, “I am delighted that Snapdeal after an exhaustive competitive review has found Madison Media to be worthy of handling this large and demanding account. Today Madison Media offers an unparalleled depth of leadership, with unmatched experience and expertise and this will be further strengthened with the joining of VikramSakhuja in a few months as Group CEO of Madison Media and OOH.”

     

    Madison Media Group has won a host of new businesses in 2015including Viber, Lenskart.com, Zivame.com, Metro Cash & Carry, Gaana.com, Cricbuzz.com, Amul Hosiery, DHFL, Bandhan Bank, amongst others. The gross billing of Madison Media Group is about Rs 3750 crore, adds the communiqué.

    As reported earlier, the digital mandate for Snapdeal has been bagged by GroupM arm Mindshare.

     

  • Yes! Vikram Sakhuja is joining Sam Balsara to take charge of the media agency empire plus the out-of-home business

    Now, Group CEO & Equity Partner, Madison Media

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    It’s a question which everyone in the industry has been asking him and each other since October 2014 when the name of a new Global CEO of Maxus was announced.

     

    When we asked him then with the lyrics of a classic Bollywood song: Yeh kya hua, kaise hua, kyun huaaa, he replied in an equally filmi style: Main toh chala jidhar challe rasta – only in this case I have an idea of what the manzil is.

     

    The ‘manzil’ clearly is the global headquarters of Madison World in North Mumbai.

     

    We’re referring to the man you see in the picture: Vikram Sakhuja, inarguably one of the most powerful and well-known media agency professionals in the country today.

     

    He joins Madison Media as an equity partner. A short statement we received from the office Madison World Chairman and Managing Director Sam Balsara announced:  “Madison World is delighted to announce that Vikram Sakhuja is set to join the Madison Media Group including OOH as Partner and Group CEO. Vikram will be responsible for the Media and OOH business of Madison World and will work closely with Sam Balsara.”

     

    This has indeed been a coup of sorts. As a senior industryperson who has known both Balsara and Sakhuja from close quarters said: “Sam is one of the smartest and shrewdest mediaperson in the country. And he has proven that yet again by getting Vikram on board.”

     

    The move also silences naysayers that Sam Balsara would do well to sell his stake in Madison World to a worthy international conglomerate. Perhaps he still will, the senior industryperson we spoke to earlier told us. “This may well be a way of saying that, yes, we are privately held company, but are professionally run.”

     

    An alumnus of IIT Delhi and IIM Calcutta, Mr Sakhuja has over 28 years of experience across the media and marketing landscape.  He has worked with Proctor & Gamble, Coca-Cola, Star India and of course GroupM where he headed South Asia operations as CEO and later Global CEO of Maxus.

     

    Said Mr Balsara in a statement: “I am delighted to have Vikram come on board and partner us in  Madison. I know Vikram as a true blue professional, over the last 20 years, first as a client, then a media partner and finally as a formidable competitor.  I am confident that he will be able to contribute significantly to our clients’ business growth and success, by providing the right strategic direction, given his vast and rich experience”.

     

    Added Mr Sakhuja in the same statement:  “I am truly excited at the prospect of returning home to India and in an entrepreneurial capacity. It is also a privilege to now partner a person who initiated me into media in my Client days. Media has never been more exciting, and I look forward to further strengthening an already iconic Agency brand.”

     

    Gautam Kiyawat

    Meanwhile, Gautam Kiyawat, current Madison Media Group CEO has decided to relocate to Singapore for personal reasons.  Balsara said the following on his movement: “I would like to place on record Gautam’s substantial contribution to Madison Media in the three years that he has been with us, especially in the area of growing our people and working as a team. I thank Gautam for his contribution  and wish him all the best in his future endeavours”.

     

    Madison Media Group is among the Top 3 media agency groups in the country handling media planning and buying for clients including Godrej, Mondelez, ITC, Marico, McDonald’s, Raymond, Piramal Healthcare, TVS, Levis, Domino’s, BhartiAxa, Max Life Insurance, Asian Paints, Pidilite, Tata Salt, Acer, Lafarge Cement, Crompton Greaves, Times Television Network, Indian Oil, Enamor Lingerie, Gowardhan Dairy, Viber, Lenskart, Metro Cash and Carry, Café Coffee Day and many others.  The gross billing of Madison Media is about Rs 3000 crore.

     

    It’ll be interesting to see how Sakhuja as head of Madison Media takes on former employer GroupM and friend Shash Sinha IPG Mediabrands, both of who are formidable competitors.  As followers of the space, we couldn’t have asked for any better.