MxMIndia

Tag: Piyush Pandey

  • The 2019 MxM Mediaperson of the Year will be presented on December 20, 2019

    2019 MxM Mediaperson of the Year: 43 Days To Go

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Less than 50 days to go for the most prestigious award for an advertising/ media professional in the country. Forty-three days to December 20. We have had three rounds of shortlisting already, and now the final one will happen later this month (November).

     

    It’s a tough selection this year, is all that we can say. There are many, many achievers, but there are a few who stand tall. And one of them will be the 2019 MxM Mediaperson of the Year.

     

    As industry persons are aware, over the last few years, the MxMIndia Mediaperson of the Year has earned the reputation of being one of the more credible barometers of the highest performer(s) in the fields of advertising, media and marketing in a calendar year. The quarterly assessment ensures that we don’t miss out on a super achiever of the first quarter.

     

    Last year’s winner of the accolade was Piyush Pandey on his rise and rise in the global creative world. In 2017, it was Arnab Goswami for the launch of Republic TV. In 2016, we had Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia CEO Ashish Bhasin and for 2015 it was the BARC India core team of Punit Goenka, Shashi Sinha and Partho Dasgupta.

     

    So who do you think will it be this year?

     

    Having said that, we have a few days before the final selection, so if you’d like us to consider any name, write to us at editor [at] mxmindia.com or even call or whatsapp the editor – Pradyuman Maheshwari, if you have our coordinates.

     

     

  • The film is shot in three different languages to connect with key regional audiences

    Fortune brings tech & food together in ad film by Ogilvy South

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ogilvy has unveiled its latest ad film for Fortune Oils that aims to appeal to younger audiences. The film is shot in three different languages to connect with key regional audiences.

     

    Said Piyush Pandey, Chief Creative Officer Worldwide, Executive Chairman India, Ogilvy said: “Fortune has always saluted home cooking and makers of home food. It also tries to stay contemporary and the new ad tries to capture that spirit. I am very happy that it is going to be shared with a lot of people in this country.”

     

    Added Angshu Mallick, Deputy CEO, Adani Wilmar Ltd. said: “Fortune Oil always stood by the philosophy that there is nothing like home cooked food. We found this concept fresh, engaging and it takes the brand ahead. This story puts the kitchen in the centre of the home and Fortune brand at the centre of the kitchen. We felt, in today’s time, that people will relate to this story where use of technology is very common.”

     

    Added Tithi Ghosh, Managing Partner, Ogilvy South: “There is no joy greater than eating home cooked food – is a universal insight. For the brand to be in tune with changing lifestyle codes it is important to refresh the brand’s thematic communication with stories that borrow from these new cultural codes. Tonality of the communication continues to be charming and authentic. This time the campaign has been shot in three different languages for even greater authenticity.”

     

     

  • The award will be presented on Friday, December 20, 2019… wait for it

    2019 MxM Mediaperson of the Year: 4 months to go

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Yes, the day is drawing closer. Just four months to go for the 2019 MxMIndia Mediaperson of the Year award. The selection process is hotting up. We have had three rounds of shortlisting already, and now the final one will happen late November.

     

    As MxMIndia readers are aware, over the last few years, the MxMIndia Mediaperson of the Year has earned the reputation of being one of the more credible barometers of the highest performer(s) in the fields of advertising, media and marketing in a calendar year.

     

    Last year’s winner of the accolade was Piyush Pandey on his rise and rise in the global creative world. In 2017, it was Arnab Goswami for the launch of Republic TV. In 2016, we had Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia CEO Ashish Bhasin and for 2015 it was the BARC India core team of Punit Goenka, Shashi Sinha and Partho Dasgupta.

     

    So who do you think will it be this year? We don’t know, and, frankly, it’s too early to even attempt forecasting and guessing the winner of the title even though we are just four months away.

     

    Having said that, if you’d like us to consider any name, write to us at editor [at] mxmindia.com or even call or whatsapp us, if you have our coordinates.

     

     

  • The new TV film highlights the Fevicol’s journey over the years in its typical human and humorous fashion

    Fevicol unveils nationwide campaign celebrating 60 years

    By A Correspondent

     

    Fevicol is celebrating its 60 years of operations in India. Launched with a single product, Fevicol today has over 75 variants like Marine, HeatX, Hi-per, EzeeSpray and defines the adhesive category.

     

    To celebrate this milestone, Fevicol has unveiled a new campaign that captures its bonding qualities. Conceptualised by Ogilvy, Pidilite’s creative agency partner for over three decades, the new TV film highlights the Fevicol’s journey over the years in its typical human and humorous fashion.

     

    Bharat Puri

    Said Bharat Puri, MD, Pidilite Industries Ltd: “Fevicol is one of the rare adhesive brands to feature in the most trusted brands in Indian households. It is loved by Indians for its reliable performance as well as its earthy, humorous and contemporary advertising. The 60-year Fevicol campaign celebrates its unbreakable bond with generations of Indians.”

     

     

    Piyush Pandey

    Added Piyush Pandey, Chief Creative Officer Worldwide and Executive Chairman India, Ogilvy: “To me, Fevicol is not just an adhesive, but a cultural glue that salutes the people of India. Fevicol as a brand, has followed this principle for 60 years. Advertising came into the picture much later. The 60-year TV ad and the entire communication salutes the carpenter and her or his craft. Fevicol is the message. Ogilvy is only the messenger.”

     

     

  • He will partner Sumanto Chattopadhyay in leading and growing the 82.5 brand and business in India

    Kapil Arora is back in Mumbai, appointed Co-Chair & CEO of 82.5

    By A Correspondent

     

    Effective August 1, 2019, Kapil Arora will take over as Co-Chairman & CEO of 82.5 India and will partner Sumanto Chattopadhyay in leading and growing the 82.5 brand and business in India. VS Srikanth, the current CEO of WPP agency 82.5 India, will move on by the end of September 2019. Srikanth, we hear, is now moving on… no, not joining another network or setting up a new agency but getting into a venture in the Indian tourism sector.

     

    Said Piyush Pandey, Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide & Executive Chairman, India, The Ogilvy Group: “82.5 is now a strong, independent WPP agency in its own right, with great talent and even greater aspirations. Kapil will bring new energy to 82.5 Communications in India, and will partner Sumanto to take it to new heights.”

     

    Added Kapil Arora, President, Ogilvy North said: “After having built the Ogilvy offering across Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi over the last 18 years, I’ve felt a strong urge for a new challenge from within the WPP group. 82.5 Communications is just that. So when I was offered the opportunity to partner Sumanto in leading 82.5, it was an obvious decision. We have an enviable set of clients and some incredible talent on board already. My mandate would be to help mould that into a relevant, winning offering that would add disproportionate value to clients.”

     

    Said Sumanto Chattopadhyay, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, 82.5 Communications: “Kapil comes with a proven track record. He is a people’s person who has built strong relationships with clients over the years. I extend a warm welcome to Kapil. I am confident that together we can take 82.5 to the next level.”

     

    So what happens at Ogilvy North, we asked. This is what we were told: First, September is some time away, and it’s likely that Big Boss and CEO Kunal Jeswani will do the trek to Delhi or spend adequate time there until the office (and clients) are in safe hands.

     

     

  • The award will be presented on Friday, December 20, 2019

    Work begins on MxMIndia 2019 Mediaperson of the Year

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    We should’ve carried this notice earlier, but it’s been a busy news period. As MxMIndia readers are aware, over the last few years, the MxMIndia Mediaperson of the Year has earned the reputation of being one of the more credible barometer of the highest performer(s) in the fields of advertising, media and marketing in a calendar year.

     

    Realising that many award shows are held at the end of the year and hence there is a tendency to only recall and accord importance to those who make an impact in the latter part of the year. MxMIndia instituted a process where we reviewed people and entities through the year by having periodic reviews and compiling the various high performers at the end of June. We did that many times in 2018. This year, we have tweaked the process and conducted one last week to review the achievers in Jan-Feb-March-April 2018.

     

    Our next review will happen in end-July or early August on the completion of the second quarter of the year.

     

    Last year’s winner of the accolade was Piyush Pandey on his rise and rise in the global creative world. In 2017, it was Arnab Goswami for the launch of Republic TV. In 2016, we had Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia CEO Ashish Bhasin and for 2015 it was the BARC India core team of Punit Goenka, Shashi Sinha and Partho Dasgupta.

     

    So who do you think will it be this year? We don’t know, and, frankly, it’s too early to even attempt forecasting and guessing the winner of the title.

     

    But, having said that, there are a few names in the bag already. If you’d like us to consider any name, write to us at editor [at] mxmindia.com or even call or whatsapp us, if you have our coordinates.

     

    This year, the award will be presented on Friday, December 20, 2019. There have been suggestions that we should conduct a ground-level event for the same. Perhaps we will. Perhaps we won’t. Wait for a decision on that.

     

     

  • Panel includes Dave Trott, Piyush Pandey, R Balki, Rama Bijapurkar and Swati Bhattacharya

    2019 edition of Star Re.Imagine Awards announced

    By A Correspondent

     

    Star India has announced the second edition of the Star Re.Imagine Awards for the best advertising on its television network and Hotstar during IPL2019.

     

    The jury list is impressive: Dave Trott, who has won the D&AD President’s Award, London for Lifetime Achievement in Advertising; R Balki, film-maker, Rama Bijapurkar,  market strategy expert; Swati Bhattacharya – CCO, FCB India and Piyush Pandey, Ogilvy Worldwide creative boss.

     

    Speaking on the announcement, Gautam Thakar, CEO, Star Sports said: “Sports is a great unifier and VIVO IPL’s massive reach and engagement provide the perfect platform for every brand to reach their audience. We are excited to announce the 2nd edition of the Star Re.Imagine Awards to celebrate the creativity of the top marketers in the country.  We have an additional award category this year and have witnessed some amazing storytelling from brands so far. I am excited to welcome our world class jury and look forward to the results.”

     

     

  • Sr. Bachchan seen educating audience about ill effects of taking shortcuts while constructing new home and recommends total waterproofing

    ‘Don’t be an octopus’, suggests Amitabh Bachchan in Dr. Fixit’s new campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dr Fixit has unveiled its new campaign featuring actor Amitabh Bachchan. The TVC urges home-owners to avoid taking a shortcut while constructing their new home and engage in waterproofing with Dr. Fixit.

     

    Said Vivek Sharma, Chief Marketing Officer, Pidilite Industries: “Dr. Fixit is the market leader in the water-proofing segment and it continues to play the role of building the category for waterproofing. People constructing new homes may have the right intention of waterproofing but often make the mistake of leaving it to others or ignoring it or cutting corners. This campaign featuring humorous interplay between Mr Bachchan and aquatic creatures aims to nudge people in the right direction of seeking total waterproofing from Dr. Fixit. Humor works best in changing people’s attitude and even better with Mr Bachchan.”

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Piyush Pandey, Chief Creative Officer Worldwide and Executive Chairman India, said: “Humans normally don’t change their behaviour when given lots of information but do so with an insightful and emotional nudge. In this series of interesting TVCs, Ogilvy and Corcoise team have done a fantastic job in providing the nudge through unique aquatic characters and humour.  Mr Bachchan is at his best, as always.  It definitely makes a person sit up, take notice and reconsider their thinking on water-proofing.”

     

     

  • Paul Polman, Mark Pritchard, Piyush Pandey, Jacques Seguela, others shine on the second day of the IAA World Congress

    Biz with Purpose on Day 2 @ IAA-WC

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    The second day of the 44th edition of the IAA World Congress organised by the International Advertising Association (IAA) saw several star speakers addressing a packed audience of professionals, practitioners, academics and students. The joint themes of ‘Brand Dharma’ and ‘Tech for Good’ were what everyone spoke on or discussed.

     

    It was also time for felicitations and awards. Yusuf Ali, Chairman and Owner, Lulu Group, was felicitated by Srinivasan Swamy, Chairman & World President, International Advertising Association. In his speech, keeping with the theme of the conference, Ali reiterated to all the marketing and communications stakeholders to act responsibly towards the society and stay true to their business values.

     

    The IAA Golden Compass Awards were conferred to Marc Pritchard, Chief Brand Officer, Procter & Gamble and Andrew Robertson, President & CEO, BBDO Worldwide. The IAA Inspire Champion Awards was conferred to Raj Nayak, senior media professional and former Chief Operating Officer at Viacom18. The IAA Inspire Honorary Life Member Award was conferred to Ranil De Silva from Sri Lanka.

     

    In the first session of the day, Paul Polman, President of the ICC, Chairman of the B-Team and Vice-Chair of the UN Global Compact. CEO Unilever made a passionate plea to companies to run their businesses by heart, because he felt that businesses can’t succeed in a society that fails.

     

    Polman stated that value and trust are two important elements for a company. However, currently, trust is low in the industry because of fake news, frauds, unethical employment practices, sexual harassment etc, he said.

     

    As advertisers, we should look and hear from a consumer’s viewpoint since consumers judge us by what we do, not by what we say, Polman said, adding: “You cannot run business with freedom without responsibility. If we don’t protect it, we won’t have a future.  Partnership is important to work on sustainable growth. A partnership, which is for a common good. Putting other’s interests before ours is very important because although we have the resources to help the society, all we are missing is human will power. Tech has connected us better with people, but has also given us loneliness.” He ended his speech by urging the audience: “If you belong to 2% of population, think about 98% population and live responsibly.”

     

    Next up was Simon Kahn of Google APAC on the Future of Digital Immersion. According to Kahn, the next wave of technology will assist us, augment our experience and will help us accelerate things we need to get done.

     

    The digital tech has started to help us in all practical areas, most progress which we have seen is in the area of speech recognition. We are now up to near human quality in speech recognition.  In India recently, we worked with Flipkart when wanted to add the experience of haggling for the big billion day sales and it the result was many millions interaction with the tool with average time of engagement for min 6 minutes. Communication is also about gesture and nonverbal cues, hence we are training computers to replicate the same hence breaking down physical world barriers

     

    This was followed by a panel discussion. Tom Doctoroff, Business Leader and Global Brand Builder on Derisk the future in conversation with Michael McQueen, Trend forecaster and Author and Tim Reid, Comedy Writer and Innovation Expert. Said Reid: “Best ideas come as jokes make your thinking as funny as possible. What makes is laugh are two things, first is the truth (as it is relatable) and the second is surprise, we experience, when something doesn’t quite fit in in the normal trend. Truth with the twist is the biggest thing that make us laugh. In an idea session, if we can get people to say something which has point of truth with an element of surprise and you will probably see a genius idea there somewhere and hence there is a science behind it creativity works better with humour.

     

    Mcqueen, who has done a lot of work with millennials on what are they thinking and what are they looking at, shared his insights on decoding the millennial mindset and how one can bridge gaps. There are 34% millennial population in India, which is very important numerically and economically as they will enter spending peak by 2026. McQueen advised the marketers to market their products through them and not to them.

     

    There was much anticipation for the session of Marc Pritchard, Chief Brand Officer, Procter & Gamble. After screening the latest ad campaign from his company in India, Pritchard started the conversation with the proposition of ‘What if brand could be force for good and a force growth’. He emphasised on living the brand’s purpose and not just talk about it. He stressed on the need of brands to align themselves with a purpose. He covered three major problems faced in the business diaspora; Gender Equality, Sustainability and Technology.

     

    People expect more from brands, he said. They want the brand to take a stand on the social issues. 9 out of 10 consumers want brands to live with their values, they want brands to take stand. In sustainability there is a difference between what people say and do. 67% of the population talks about sustainability but only 30% of them actually act on it. Sustainable goals are equally good for the growth of the brands, he sai. He spoke about how P&G is doing its bit by using technology is work on a product that can eliminate need of water in cleaning,

     

    “I urge to reduce renew and recycle water, energy and waste. It will be nice if all brands can come together.”

     

    Later, Chris Tung , CMO, Alibaba, spoke about the Alibaba model and how it has built for itself an ecosystem for brand-builiding. Mark D’Arcy, VP of Global Business Marketing and Chief Creative Officer, Facebook was in conversation with Hungama founder and digital pioneer Neeraj Roy. India is the second-largest market for Facebook. D’Arcy asked mainstream brands to be always being interesting and relevant in reference to content marketing. The journey from attention to action is interesting, he said. All touchpoints in the journey should be engaging and seemless. FB is deeply committed to innovation too. We have curiosity of constantly learning as an organisation is important. It helps in growing the business and help improve the culture.

     

    The following session had Rahul Welde, EVP Digital Transformation, Unilever and Lindsay Pattison, Chief Client Officer, WPP in a chat with Ralph Simon.

     

    The biggest change in marketing and technology sector is speed, Welde said. The results are quick which enables faster changes meeting the needs. Apart from technology, the most important assets in marketing are skills and talent. To make a greater impact, one needs to have a skilful leadership and talent pool in the organisation.

     

    Said Pattison: Disruption is affecting everybody and every brand. India has a 14% ad spent growth which is highest in the world, making it the most potential market for the advertisers.

     

    After some serious business truths, the audience witnessed an extremely engaging session by Jacques Seguela, Co-Founder of RSCG & Vice President of Havas Media where Seguela underscored the need for storytelling and emotions to not get disconnected in our pursuit of technology.Seguela, who was celebrating his 85th birthday on Thursday, receive a standing ovation. His session was followed by that of Ed Pank of Warc who spoke on ‘Tech for Good, Innovating for Social Impact’.

     

    The final session of the day was by Ogilvy Chief Creative Officer and celebrate adperson Piyush Pandey offered a perspective on ‘Brand Dharma’ that made people sit up and take notice. “A lot of people spoke about sustainability, climate change and everything. I would like to draw your attention to sustainability of human emotions that are under threat in the digital world… Sustainability in environment is to make life longer but sustainability in relationships is to love and enjoy life.”

     

    The evening entertainment for the day was interestingly titled ‘Fashion & Flavours of India’. After a day packed with high energy session, the winding down was well-deserved.

     

     

  • 82.5 Communications will be headquartered in Mumbai, and also have offices in New Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata

    Soho Square is now 82.5 Communications

    By A Correspondent

     

    WPP’s Ogilvy group has launched 82.5 Communications, an India-specific creative agency catering to Indian companies, startups and entrepreneurs. 82.5 Communications will be headquartered in Mumbai, and also have offices in New Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata.

     

    Said Piyush Pandey, Chief Creative Officer Worldwide, Executive Chairman India, Ogilvy: “82.5 will meet a key need in the creative services market for an agency that is tailored to help realise the aspirations of emerging Indian companies, entrepreneurs and brands as well as MNCs who want to ‘Indianise’ their brands and forge a connect with Indian audiences. Such challenger brands are often very strong in their respective categories or geographies, and invariably seek the same qualities that they themselves exhibited, in their creative agencies: passion, agility, out-of-the box thinking and a deep desire to grow.”

     

    Elaborating on this, Sumanto Chattopadhyay, Chairman and CCO, 82.5 Communications said: “The focus will be on finding ingenious, bespoke solutions to client’s problems. India has for long had a culture of finding interesting and effective solutions to everyday problems—we are, as a nation, very creative. It’s this creative mindset that we hope to inculcate in 82.5. The rationale for our name, incidentally, is that 82.5 is the longitude of Indian Standard Time. As an agency focussed on Indian entrepreneurship and Indian ingenuity, we felt this name would be apt.”

     

    The accounts of Soho Square, another creative agency belonging to the Ogilvy group in India, will now be managed under 82.5 Communications. V.S. Srikanth, who was the Director and CEO of Bates CHI & Partners India, will be the CEO of the new entity, responsible for steering 82.5 Communications in the intended direction, and for implementing plans to deepen and widen 82.5’s engagement with its existing clients. Samrat Bedi, President-West, Chandana Agarwal, President-North, Sharmista Dev, Head-Kolkata, Naveen Raman, Head-Bengaluru, Siddhartha Roy, EVP Planning, Anuraag Khandelwal, ECD, Mayur Verma, ECD, Mukund Sharma, ECD and Ranadeep Dasgupta, Group Creative Director, complete the core team of 82.5 Communications.

     

     

  • On-boards global cricketing icons Faf du Plessis, Ben Stokes, KL Rahul, Andre Russel, Kane Williamson, Mitchell Starc & Angelo Mathews as brand ambassadors

    For Royal Stag, ‘It Starts with You’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Seagram’s Royal Stag has announced its new campaign, ‘It starts with You. Make it large.” The campaign features seven cricketers – South Africa’s Faf du Plessis, England’s Ben Stokes, India’s KL Rahul, West Indies’ Andre Russel, New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, Australia’s Mitchell Starc & Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews.

     

    The latest TVC, created by Ogilvy & Mather and directed by Llyod Baptista, has attempts to capture the emotions, hard work and grit of these cricket stars.

     

    Speaking on the announcement, Kartik Mohindra, Chief Marketing Officer, Pernod Ricard India said: “Royal Stag has always been an iconic brand that has inspired people to dream, achieve and make it large in life. The brand has been associated with cricket since the year 2000. We are extremely excited to release our latest campaign that captures the spirit of today’s generation that is ambitious, embodies self-belief and is willing to go the distance to fulfil their dreams.

     

    Sharing his experience, Piyush Pandey, Worldwide, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy added: “The cricket World Cup is the largest stage there is for a cricketer and what better brand to pay tribute to that stage than Royal Stag. The latest commercial features 7 of the world’s best cricketers and traces their journey from dreaming the big dream of playing for their country, to passionately working toward it and finally achieving it. Royal Stag’s ‘Make it large’ is today an inspiring life philosophy and with this commercial, the brand finds another storyline of motivating millions of people to ‘make it large’.

     

     

  • His appointment is the biggest role a resident Indian has occupied in marketing services globally

    It’s Piyush Pandey, Global CCO-designate, Ogilvy

     

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    Greetings! It’ss D-Day. December 14, 2018. The day when we said we would announce the MxM India Mediaperson of the Year 2018. Since we don’t˜conduct an awards presentations offline, we aren’t subject to the demands of sponsors and the constraints that venues and budgets put us under. Like, say, the Time magazine’s Person of the Year, we too have just an online announcement. We are sure you will join us in the celebration of who our 2018 Mediaperson of the Year is.

     

    But first an introduction and how we are different from various other awards/title presentations:

     

    First, it’s not based on a survey. It’s not based on any industry poll. It’s based on a study conducted by us through the year. This makes the decision-making tougher, as we can’t pass the blame on to research. Or the collective view of the industry. Or of a jury.

     

    Second, it’s an A&M industry study. Agreed CEOs of big clients are important, but we are looking at CMOs and not CEOs of well-marketed organisations.

     

    Third, we look at performance through the year, and don’t base it on the highs of the last two quarters of a year which tend to influence any voting-based process at the yearend.

     

    Fourth, it’s about performance in the year. The highs and highs achieved in this calendar year.

     

    Fifth, we give you a clear reason why we have chosen the winner

     

    Sixth, we are as sincere and honest about the awards as one can get. There were suggestions that we should make it an on-ground event. But then that comes with its own set of issues (and compulsions). We even had one large media group expressing its interest three years back. But we think it could’ve influenced our decision-making.

     

    So: the MxMIndia Mediaperson of the Year 2018 is an online presentation. It’s an accolade that’s for the truly well-deserving. And for the True Achiever of 2018 in the Indian Media, Advertising & Marketing arena.

     

    With the backgrounders done, here’s  how we went about our task.

     

    We maintain an online notebook that records important developments of the year. It’s a drill that ensures one can do recaps etc with ease.

     

    For the Mediaperson of the Year, one reviews names, quarter-wise. This ensures the choice of the winner doesn’t suffer from the recency factor.

     

    We looked at various names. We couldn’t miss the achievements of the various media biggies as they went on consolidating operations.

     

    We had also asked our readers for their nominations, and we added these to the come to a shortlist of five. And this is what it was:

     

    1. Shashi Sinha, CEO, IPG Mediabrands and Chairman, RSCI: The successful launch of IRS 2018 and the fact that there was no bloodbath after that was thanks essentially to the great work done by Sinha, NP Sathyamurthy and others.

     

    2. Uday Shankar: Star India Chairman and CEO Uday Shankar was elevated to President, 21st  Century  Fox, Asia. And on December 13, it was announced that he would be Chairman, Star and Disney India, and President, The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific. This year saw Star acquiring more India cricket right and of course consolidate its hold in broadcast and digital.

     

    3. Sandhya Menon, Vinta Nanda, Priya Ramani and all the women who spoke up: While it’s not just media and entertainment where there are perverts in the system, it required some guts for these women to speak up and inform the world that sexual harassment exists in a really big way in Indian M&E.

     

    4. Ekta Kapoor: The lady who rules the Indian video software space, she has been achieving stupendous success through the years. And now set to make a mark in OTT land.

     

    5. And then our fifth shortlist¦

     

    Ladies and Gentlemen, We have great pride in announcing that the 2018 MxMIndia Mediaperson of the Year Award is¦.

     

    Piyush Pandey. Global Chief Creative Officer-designate and India boss of Ogilvy (specifically: Executive Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy South Asia)

     

    Piyush Pandey

    There is no disputing the fact he is the clear #1 in creative advertising in the country. There are several greats that exist in India, but Pandey is numero uno. In June this year, at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creative, Piyush Pandey and brother Prasoon were awarded the Lion of St Mark.

     

    Earlier this month December 5, to be precise, Ogilvy announced that Pandey has been appointed as the agency’s next Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide effective January 1, 2019.

     

    This is by far the biggest announcement in the marketing services business ever. For a resident Indian to become the global creative boss of an agency of the calibre of an Ogilvy is huge.

     

    Over the years, Pandey has nurtured several creative geniuses in the Ogilvy fold. Business-wise too Ogilvy is doing well, despite an overall slowdown in the creative agency business. There have been some good wins like BMW, Xiaomi, Taco Bell, Bank Bazaar.

     

    The good things for us in India is that despite a worldwide posting, Pandey isn’t going anywhere. He will continue to be based in Mumbai. And he will continue to chair India operations even as his travels across the world will increase.

     

    A truly deserving winner of the 2018 MxMIndia Mediaperson of the Year title.