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Tag: Sidharth Rao

  • The agency will handle the entire gamut of digital advertising services for the brand

    Dentsu Webchutney wins digital mandate of Red Bull

    By A Correspondent

     

    DentsuWebchutney has been awarded the digital mandate for Red Bull. The agency’s Mumbai office will be leading the account services. The agency won the account following a multi-agency pitch.

     

    Sidharth Rao

    Commenting on the win, Sidharth Rao, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder, DentsuWebchutney, says, “We are delighted to partner with Red Bull. The brand as well as the category are pretty dynamic – something that will certainly help us push the envelope and come up withsome refreshing work!”

     

    DentsuWebchutney is the digital agency from the Dentsu Aegis Network with offices in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Its clientele includes Flipkart, Airtel, Unilever, MasterCard, and Coca Cola.

     

  • Their growth has been unprecedented as they now operate in 10 countries through more than 250 stores

    Dentsu Webchutney bags Forever New’s digital advertising mandate

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dentsu Webchutney has bagged the digital advertising duties of Forever New following a multi-agency pitch. As part of the new mandate, the agency will be handling the search and digital advertising services for the brand. The account will be handled out of the agency’s Delhi office.

     

    Forever New is a fashion clothing and accessories brand founded in Melbourne, Australia. One of the fastest growing Australian brands, Forever New began as a start-up retailer in 2006. Their growth has been unprecedented as they now operate in 10 countries through more than 250 stores.

     

    Sidharth Rao

    Commenting on the win, Sidharth Rao, CEO and co-founder, Dentsu-Webchutney says, “We are absolutely thrilled and excited to be working on such a young and successful fashion brand. Fashion, as a segment, always unfolds interesting opportunities to do refreshing work and we aim to do just that.”

     

    On their newly formed association, Vishal Trehan, Business Head India, Forever New says, “Forever New has forayed into the digital space by associating with Dentsu Webchutney and we’re looking forward to this exciting partnership. The idea is to synergise together towards building effective strategies for better customer engagement. It’s the age of digital media, and a strong digital presence is the need of the hour. This collaboration with Dentsu Webchutney is integral to the brand and will ensure the same for us.”

     

  • #PointKyaHai trended on Twitter on 1st spot for first few hours and garnered over 180 million impressions

    Dentsu Webchutney creates new brand thought for Payback

    By A Correspondent

     

    PAYBACK, a multi partner loyalty program which rewards points for shopping, has joined hands with Dentsu Webchutney for the online and digital marketing of their new brand thought.

     

    On the new brand thought and brand strategy, Gaurav Khurana, CMO, PAYBACK India said, “The new brand thought comes as a logical next step in PAYBACK’s brand evolution journey. It marries the core PAYBACK product proposition with the evolving customer’s need for getting more from every transaction.”

     

    Explaining the role of social media for marketing, he added, “As part of our strategy, social media has played and will continue to play a significant role for us. We received a tremendous response for our campaigns from all our customers and even non customers. With the kind of work that Dentsu Webchutney has done in the recent past, we are confident that we will be able to accomplish some great work together.”

     

    Sidharth Rao, CEO, Dentsu Webchutney said, “We are privileged to work with PAYBACK India. It enhances our credentials as the leading full service digital marketing agency in India. It is an interesting and a challenging category to work on and we are looking forward to do some great work together which will stand out on the digital stage.”

     

    In a bid to showcase their wide portfolio of partner brands and redemption options, PAYBACK came up with a new tagline which promises consumers that nothing is pointless at PAYBACK. It was led in with teaser campaign #PointKyaHai which trended on Twitter on 1st spot for first few hours and garnered over 180 million impressions.

     

    Moosa Khan, Creative Director, Denstu Webchutney said, “We had a lot of fun conceptualising and executing #PointKyaHai for PAYBACK. The campaign was one of those rare instances where the communication and the product fit together extremely well.”

     

  • The Dentsu India Group has announced that it has acquired an 80 percent stake in digital agency Webchutney

    Dentsu buys 80% of Webchutney

    By A Correspondent

     

    Rohit Ohri, Executive Chairman, Dentsu India Group along with Webchutney co-founders Sidharth Rao (L) and Sudesh Samaria (R)

    The Dentsu India Group has announced that it has acquired an 80 percent stake in digital agency Webchutney. With around 200 employees across offices in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, Webchutney has been credited with developing award-winning and memorable digital experiences for some of the biggest brands in the country, many of them of global repute like Airtel, Unilever, MasterCard, Coca-Cola, Bacardi Martini, Budweiser, ITC, Marico, Madura Garments, Titan, Bajaj, Reliance Retail and Saint Gobain.

     

    The work done by the agency has been awarded at various domestic and international events over the years including Adfest, Goa Fest (Creative Abbys), Yahoo! Big Idea Chair Awards, Campaign India Digital Media Awards, IAMAI Indian Digital Awards, W3 Awards and Olive Crown Awards among other prominent recognitions.

     

    Founded by Sidharth Rao and Sudesh Samaria in 1999, Webchutney boasts an impressive client roster and some of the most recognized digital work over the last few years spanning web design, social media, mobile and experiential digital advertising. Rahul Nanda, President, Mobile Initiatives, joined the agency in 2005 as Partner and Chief Operating Officer. The agency will continue to operate independently under the management control of its current leadership.

     

    Sidharth Rao, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder, Webchutney, commented, “In Dentsu and Rohit Ohri, we have found a partner who is willing to invest in and cultivate our passion to provide path breaking digital creative services to our clients. We are thrilled to be working with such a strong global leadership and are ready to enter a new phase of our growth. We could not have made it this far without the unfaltering support of our clients, our leadership teams and the talented bunch of team members. I am also personally grateful to Sarbvir Singh who has been my mentor for the last five years and his team at Capital18 for ensuring that we shared a wonderful journey together.”

     

    Sudesh Samaria, National Creative Director and Co-founder, Webchutney, said, “The Dentsu network is ‘future obsessed’ and that fits in perfectly with what we do here at Webchutney. We’re always trying to be ahead of the curve and we love people, ideas and technology that will help us and our clients get there faster. So in that sense both from a philosophy point of view as well as synergies across capabilities, we believe we’ve found the ideal growth partner in Dentsu.”

     

    Speaking on the new partnership, Rohit Ohri, Executive Chairman, Dentsu India Group, said, “Dentsu is the first global network that’s being built out in the post-digital era. We believe we’re building the network of the future. Our partnership with Webchutney is another step in that direction. We’re now going to be able to put world class digital solutions in the centre of our offering to our clients. I’m delighted to have Webchutney as a part of the Dentsu India Group.”

     

  • After Taproot, Japanese ad giant Dentsu is in advanced talks to buy leading digital firm Webchutney

    Dentsu in talks to buy out digital agency Webchutney

    By Ratna Bhushan

     

    Japanese advertising agency Dentsu is in advanced talks to buy out leading digital advertising agency and consulting firm Webchutney.

     

    This will be Dentsu’s first local acquisition in the digital agency space. Network18, which holds 70.06% stake in the Sidharth Rao-promoted Webchutney Studios, is looking to exit from the alliance, two officials with knowledge of the development said. The deal size is estimated at between Rs 40 crore and Rs 60 crore for Network18’s 70.06%, which values the agency at roughly Rs 90 crore on the higher side.

     

    “Dentsu is expected to buy out Network 18’s stake in Webchutney. The promoters of Webchutney will continue to hold their stakes,” one of the officials quoted earlier said.

     

    Rohit Ohri

    Rohit Ohri, Dentsu India group’s executive chairman said: “We are looking to scale up our digital capabilities in India. Obviously, acquisition is one of the options. We are currently discussing the various options and putting together our plan.” Officials close to the development say Webchutney, which was ranked the No 1 digital agency in the latest Brand Equity Agency Reckoner, is the front-runner in Dentsu’s quest for inorganic growth in this space.

     

    Network18 had invested in Webchutney through its investment arms, Capital18 Ltd and Capital18 Fincap, in 2007. The agency, which services firms like Airtel, Microsoft, Hindustan Unilever, Marico and Titan, posted a profit of Rs 6.35 crore in the financial year 2011-2012 on revenues of Rs 21.55 crore. Network18 owns 49.42% of the shareholding through Capital18, Mauritius and 20.64% through Capital18 Fincap.

     

    Webchutney’s Rao said: “It’s very early to talk about any new alliance… nothing has been finalised as we are evaluating many options.”

     

    Sarbvir Singh, Capital 18 MD, too neither denied nor confirmed if Network18 was exiting Webchutney. “In the normal course of business, at any given point in time, we are approached by several interested parties and we speak to them as appropriate. We have no other comment to offer at this point.”

     

    Webchutney was set up in 1999 by entrepreneurs Sidharth Rao and Sudesh Samaria. The agency’s area of work includes online advertising, website design, mobile marketing and social media. Its employee strength is about 200.

     

    In July, globally Dentsu had acquired British media buying group Aegis for $4.9 billion. Back home, too, the Japanese agency has been on the prowl. In August, it acquired majority stake in creative hotshop Taproot.

     

    Founded by ad men Agnello Dias and Santosh Padhi, Taproot has created clutter-breaking ads including PepsiCo’s ‘change the game’ and Airtel’s ‘jo tera hai wo mera hai’.

     

    Denstu also has an indirect alliance with mobile marketing agency ad2c, a collaboration between Japan’s D2 Communications and Singapore-based Affle, led in India by Madan Sanglikar. In mid-August Aegis had acquired D2 Communications, a digital marketing and search agency. Indirectly, this deal gave Dentsu access to the digital space.

     

    Dentsu’s clients include car maker Toyota and electronic firm Panasonic whilst Aegis services brands such as Adidas and Philips.

     

    Digital agencies are increasingly being wooed by traditional ones. Earlier this year, Publicis Groupe bought out digital and performance marketing firms Resultrix and Indigo Consulting in two back-to-back deals. And in mid-June this year, WPP Group bought out a majority stake in Hungama Digital Services through its agency JWT Singapore.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2012, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

     

  • Leading independent digital marketing agency Webchutney announces key movements within the organization to consolidate diverse client portfolio and propel growth

    Growth in mind, Webchutney rejigs leadership

    By A Correspondent

     

    India’s leading digital marketing agency Webchutney has announced key movements within executive leadership across New Delhi and Mumbai. The move signifies a clear mandate to accelerate growth by forging stronger ties with partners and clients, while streamlining vertical units and fortifying operational efficiency.

     

    Ranked India’s number one digital agency in 2008, 2009 & 2011, Webchutney was co-founded in 1999 by Chief Executive Officer Sidharth Rao, and National Creative Director Sudesh Samaria in New Delhi. The agency has grown to over 200 people across New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore with a diverse client portfolio ranging from startups to Fortune 50 companies.

     

    Speaking on the reorganization, Sidharth Rao, CEO, Webchutney said: “The movements reflect our commitment to building internal strength through collaborative growth. The new, dynamic leadership has a proven track record with demonstrated results, valuable experience and seamless operational control achieved consistently. They are strategically positioned to lead the new wave of innovation at a crucial time in the evolution of digital experiences and engagement in India. This also gives us the opportunity to explore new business avenues and evaluate meaningful partnerships that will guide the future of our organization and the digital industry at large.”

     

    Rahul Nanda will don a new role as Partner and President – Mobile Initiatives from his previous role as Chief Operating Officer. The new autonomous division, with focus on product initiatives in the mobile and tablet space is actively building interactive apps and games capabilities. Mr Nanda’s strong credentials backed by 17 years of experience in the digital domain will provide clear direction in cracking the dynamic role agencies and marketers play in monetizing this platform.

     

    Nishi Kant is now Chief Operating Officer – West & South Region from Executive Creative Director at Webchutney.  His outstanding expertise in crafting award winning, interactive digital experiences along with winning digital mandates and building creative portfolios of prestigious Fortune 50 companies like Unilever, Proctor and Gamble among others has received tremendous recognition from national & international quarters.

     

    Saket Vaidya steps up as Chief Operating Officer – North Region from Vice President, Regional Operations. With close to 7 years of technology experience, in his new role, he will broaden the range of specialist services offered by the agency while driving and influencing next-generation digital marketing communication.

     

    Tarana Mehta is the new Chief Strategy Officer at Webchutney from Vice President – Strategy and Business Development. Armed with over 10 years of experience in the advertising /digital industry, she has a proven track record in business development, operational leadership and strategic consulting with a plethora of brands  including HSBC, L’Oreal, Evian, La Roche Posay, Coca-Cola, Kraft, Titan, Mastercard, Barclays & Marico across the Indian and North American market.

     

    Meghana Bhat will move up as Executive Creative Director from Creative Director at Webchutney. A copywriter by skill, & creative strategist by choice, she has helped brands understand and make optimum use of digital media to become more relevant and entertaining to their audience.