MxMIndia

Tag: Starcom Mediavest Group

  • He joins the agency from Starcom Mediavest Group where he was National Trading Director. based in Mumbai

    Madison Media appoints Vinay Hegde as Sr Vice President – Buying

    By A Correspondent

     

    Vinay Hegde

    Madison Media has announced the appointment of Vinay Hegde as Senior Vice President – Buying reporting into Neelkamal Sharma, COO – Buying for the group. Hegde joins the agency from Starcom Mediavest Group where he was National Trading Director.

     

    Hegde has over 20 years of experience having worked in Mindshare Fulcrum for over 10 years handling buying for Unilever business. He has also worked in Disney as Director Revenue Strategy and HTA and Percept previously.

     

    Says Vikram Sakhuja, Group CEO, Madison Media & OOH, “I am delighted to have Vinay join our team. I have known him as a fantastic buyer whose understanding of the Indian TV environment is second to none.  He will bring considerable heft to Madison’s prodigious buying strength.”

     

    Said Hegde, on his appointment, “In my view, Madison is the quintessential example of an agency with strong foundations built on human spirit by the enigmatic and brilliant Sam Balsara and now infused with a fresh energy by the charismatic Vikram Sakhuja. ”

     

  • Chowdhury will report to SMG India’s chairman Hanley King and CEO Mallikarjun Das

    Basabdatta Chowdhury to be Starcom Mediavest Group COO, exits Platinum

    By Pritha Mitra Dasgupta

     

    Platinum Media CEO Basabdatta Chowdhury is set to join Starcom Mediavest Group as Chief Operating Officer early next year.

     

    The move comes 15 years after Chowdhury joined Madison World, the parent organisation of Platinum Media. Starcom Mediavest Group (SMG) is part of Paris-based Publicis Groupe.

     

    Chowdhury will report to SMG India’s chairman Hanley King and CEO Mallikarjun Das. “We are absolutely delighted to have someone as highly capable, respected and hungry as Basab joining the senior management team,” said Das. “She will have dual responsibilities of running the SMG business of North India and at a national level grow and acquire new businesses.”

     

    Source:The Economic Times

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

    Licensed to republish

     

  • The forum was especially relevant in the context of the digital revolution that the country is undergoing and the resultant impact on the financial sector

    ‘Financial Services Forum’ unravels new frontiers in digital

    By A Correspondent

     

    The ‘Financial Services Forum’, an event jointly hosted by Facebook and Publicis Groupe in India, had many key learnings for brands in the banking, financial services and insurance categories (BFSI).

     

    The event included leaders from Facebook and Publicis, as well as marketers from the BFSI segments, and there were discussions on how to best leverage Facebook as a powerful tool in performance marketing, segmentation of consumers and extrapolation of data, personalized marketing, creative and visual storytelling and effective use of Facebook’s ad serving platform Atlas.

     

    This forum is especially relevant in the context of the digital revolution that the country is undergoing and the resultant impact on the financial sector. There are over 200 million internet mobile connections in India – estimated in June this year, over 150 million in last October. There will be over 600 million smart phones by 2019. Every avenue remains transformed for the BFSI sector, be it transactions or marketing or creation of new products or channels and distribution.

     

    Kirthiga Reddy, Managing Director, Facebook India said, “We are pleased to partner with the Publicis Groupe for the first ever Financial Services Forum. The financial services ecosystem has always been at the heart of economic growth and one of the first in adopting digital and CRM platforms in the country. This conference is about “growth” and how Publicis Groupe and Facebook can work together to help business in the segment grow, in the wake of the consumer’s shift from desktop to mobile.”

     

    Anupriya Acharya, Group Chief Executive of  ZenithOptimedia Group says that in the context of the Indian government‘s call for financial inclusion coupled with the fast transforming consumer journey, the given mobile revolution and now the Digital India initiative, the time to hold a seminar such as ‘Financial Services Forum’ made perfect sense.

     

    Acharya states, “The BFSI sector is set to undergo complete transformation in the next few years. Facebook, with its tremendous mobile reach and equity is not only a great platform for Social and Display but also a powerful tool for Performance marketing. And hence, holds great potential to accelerate growth and business for the BFSI clients. I think that the forum was quite successful in highlighting this and answered a lot of key questions for the marketers. We hope it will help our clients to reflect on their digital assets, on whether they are fully mobile ready for the many millions of addressable consumers on boarding, and how data driven insights can drive thumb stopping content.”

     

    Hanley King, Chairman, Starcom MediaVest Group, feels that Facebook’s immense reach, frequency of usage, deep mobile penetration and advanced targeting options, make it a platform like none other for the BFSI sector for driving both performance as well as brand awareness objectives.

     

    Speaking on the sidelines of the first ever “Financial Services Forum” King remarks, “The question in everyone’s mind was how do we unleash the unique features of Facebook to drive tangible business results, especially in a category like BFSI which cannot purely depend on relevant exposures. What everyone took away from today’s event is that, in the context of the BFSI sector Facebook is not just a potent source for new customer acquisition but a powerful tool for driving customer retention, engagement and cross-sell opportunities.”

     

    King further added, “I am sure that the case studies, new product features and tools that were showcased helped our clients see Facebook in a new light and they were able to walk away with a road map on how to translate the platform’s reach, along with its precise and deep segmentation of audiences to achieve their business goals. It has always been our endeavor to bring forth to our clients the best-in-class in digital and we are committed to partner with our clients in their journey to exploit the potential of platforms like Facebook to enhance their business.”

     

  • Starcom was selected by EAP to deliver scaled benefits by aligning media spending power across key markets

    Jet, Etihad appoint Starcom as global media agency

    By A Correspondent

     

    Jet Airways, along with other Etihad Airways Partner (EAP) airlines Etihad Airways, Alitalia and Air Berlin have announced that Starcom, part of StarcomMediaVest Group, has won the contract to become the airline group’s new global media agency, following a joint tender sent to several leading agency networks.

     

    Starcom was selected by EAP to deliver scaled benefits by aligning media spending power across key markets and to provide added value and centralised strategic advice and planning to meet the unique commercial needs of the airline grouping.

     

    Commenting on this new partnership, Gaurang Shetty, Sr. Vice-President, Commercial, Jet Airways said, “Starcom showed their ability to add value to our media investments and demonstrated their thorough understanding of the evolving media scenario. Starcom’s solution was backed by data, insights and was relevant to the brand’s core values. We look forward to partnering with Starcom to develop synergies along with Eithad Airways Partner airlines.”

     

    The appointment of Starcom will allow the EAP to benefit from a superior knowledge and skill base within one agency to service all partners with market and industry insights and to provide access to leading edge global thinking and proprietary technology with consistency across all partners.

     

    Shane O’Hare, Etihad Airways’ Senior Vice President Marketing, said: “Starcom demonstrated that they fully understand the emerging media scene which has digital media at its core. Their highly experienced team, resources, planning tools and buying clout in all the key EAP markets gave them a clear edge in the tender.

     

    “The depth of the relationships within the EAP allows us to go even further with our joint media strategy alignment, and will allow Starcom to maximise returns on our collective investment and to ensure that each unique brand experience is brought to life with optimum exposure on a global scale.”

     

    Starcom will service the EAP airlines in key hubs in the India, United Arab Emirates, Germany and Italy, with central coordination from their EMEA head office in London.

     

    Matt Blackborn, President, Investment and Diversification at Starcom MediaVest Group, said: “We are the foremost innovators in the precision media space and very much welcome this exciting challenge of working with the EAP airlines across all their communications platforms.

     

    “We look forward to servicing EAP through a unified approach that integrates connections, content, data and technology.”

     

  • Liqvd Asia's clients include Celkon Mobile, Axis Bank, Benetton, LifeCell, Lonely Planet, Sennheiser, Kalpataru, Glanbia plc and Adidas Originals

    Concept Communication acquires majority stake in Liqvd Asia

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zubin Nalawala, Founding member, Liqvd Asia, Vivek Suchanti, Chariman and Managing Director, Concept Communication, and Arnab Mitra, Founding member, Liqvd Asia(l-r)

    Concept Communication announced it has acquired a majority stake in Liqvd Asia, an experiential digital marketing company. With this, the two founding members of Liqvd Asia – Arnab Mitra and Zubin Nalawalla along with their team of 28 will become an integrated part of the Concept Group driving the digital mandate in the country and select markets in Asia.

     

    Liqvd Asia started operations in 2013. Its clients include Celkon Mobile, Axis Bank, Benetton, LifeCell, Lonely Planet, Sennheiser, Kalpataru, Glanbia plc and Adidas Originals. The company is head quartered in Mumbai and has a presence in Singapore as well.

     

    Commenting on the acquisition, Vivek Suchanti, Chairman and Managing Director, Concept Communication, said: “This acquisition consolidates our position in the digital space. Arnab is experienced at establishing operational excellence within diverse new age marketing techniques, translating conceptual models into specific growth strategies, and planning and executing multi-faceted national and regional advertising campaigns. His expertise will help us create a bouquet of offerings to our clients across various Group entities. With the addition of Liqvd Asia, we are taking another step in helping our clients ‘get digitally right’. We are delighted to welcome Arnab and his team to be an integral part of Concept family.”

     

    Before starting up, Arnab Mitra worked as National Director for Starcom Mediavest Group and prior to that he has worked with Havas Media, where he was heading the agency in South Asia.

     

    Sharing his views on the merger, Mr Mitra said: “We’re very excited to become a part of the Concept Group. Concept is recognized as a formidable brand in the country and Vivek has been one of most respected names in the Indian advertising and related services industry. With this merger we will soon emerge to be the leaders in providing digital experiential solutions in the country and region.”

     

  • Natasha Kapoor joins as VP, SMG Mumbai and Gautam Surath appointed VP, Strategic Planning

    SMG India bolsters its senior team with key appointments

    By A Correspondent

     

    Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) India has announced that it has bolstered its senior leadership team with the hiring of two key executives. Natasha Kapoor joins the agency as VP, SMG Mumbai and Gautam Surath as VP, Strategic Planning.

     

    In a newly created role Natasha will be responsible for client service, product delivery and growth for the Mumbai market. Natasha has more than 15 years of media experience. Her last job was at Samsung India, where she handled investment, brand activation and strategy for its media procurement and process audit division. Prior to that, she was a media purchases director at Mediacom where she handled television buying for the Procter & Gamble team. She also has worked on the Unilever business at Fulcrum and Mindshare.

     

    “I believe SMG offers a unique opportunity in the market for staff and clients alike. Nowhere else in India can you find a world class Digital and Data and Analytics practice coupled with great media tools, systems and thinking resulting in a great all round product. It is a wonderfully challenging assignment and I am looking forward to it,” said Natasha.

     

    Gautam Surath also joins the agency as VP, Strategic Planning Director at a national level and will be responsible for strategic planning, training and guiding the digital transition of SMG’s clients across its offices. Surath is an SMG veteran having worked for the company from 2003 in both India and China. For the past four years he has been a Business Director at SMG China in Guangzhou, where he was strategy lead on multiple categories of the Procter & Gamble business.

     

    “Quite frankly, having started my career at Starcom and having worked here ever since, moving back to the India office from China was a bit of a no-brainer. Having seen the company evolve with evolving consumer trends, I have no doubt that our vision is the right one. Exposure to the global marketplace has only strengthened my belief in this regard. Exciting times in India and it’s great to be back home!” said Surath.

     

    “Natasha and Gautam bring key skillsets to complement and enhance our offering to clients in India and both Malli and I look forward to working with them.” said Hanley King, Chairman, SMG India.

     

  • The engaging digital campaign spans across desktop and Mobile for OLX

    SMG Convonix creates digital campaign for OLX

    By a correspondent

     

    SMG Convonix, leading integrated digital marketing solutions company and part of Starcom MediaVest Group has come up with a unique integrated experiential digital media campaign for OLX “Phone ko banao SELLphone”. OLX, in a marketing campaign across TV, radio, and outdoor, is promoting a new concept of ‘sell-phone,’ focusing on three core communication points click-upload-sell.

     

    The digital ad campaign by SMG Convonix trendily allows the users to sell off household things virtually by just experiencing this innovation on Web though their mobile phones. This mobile sync web campaign goes live on Yahoo and MSN from 4th and 5th June respectively.

     

    Women have always been an integral part of the brand communication at OLX. With ‘Phone ko banao Sell-Phone’ OLX celebrates the individuality and independence of the new-age Indian woman. The campaign displays OLX mobile App as a tool of empowerment for women, allowing them to earn money, and unclutter from the convenience of their homes.

     

    Commenting on the innovation, Amarjit Batra, Chief Executive Officer, OLX India, said, “The current campaign “Phone ko banao SELLphone” stemmed from the insight that it is easier to use a classifieds platform from a mobile phone than a desktop PC. The campaign tries to highlight that online selling is fun and convenient”.

     

    “This innovation is an attempt to deliver the joy of selling through mobile, and displays the ease of the OLX mobile App. With this campaign we intend to give our users the best possible user experience,” he further added.

     

  • Zero Dot will deliver the next generation of brand consulting, experience strategy and design

    Starcom MediaVest redefines brand experience consulting with Zero Dot

    By A Correspondent

     

    Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) has launched a new unit at the company, Zero Dot, a new generation of brand consulting, experience design, strategy and original creation of content. While the unit launched officially now, Zero Dot has already been driving new ideas, innovation and returns for numerous clients, including Procter & Gamble brand Cheer, which recently named Zero Dot as one of its creative partners.

     

    “Consumers are at the centre of everything we do,” said Laura Desmond, SMG CEO. “Keeping ahead of their pace of change and connecting with them in real-time is a part of our DNA. Today’s converged media world has created a need for more agile, multidisciplinary solutions, which is where Zero Dot comes in-serving as a consultancy that can create a new breed of experiences and catalyze speed to market so brands can engage today’s consumers in the moment..”

     

    Zero Dot will collaborate with all SMG agencies and Centres of Excellence (COE) and joins the group of emerging media and content units at the company, said a communiqué, It will expand globally throughout 2014.

     

  • SMG Convonix unveils online tool that has already logged over 1.5mn Wimbledon-related conversations

    Starcom’s SMG Convonix tracks Wimbledon online chatter

    By A Correspondent

     

    SMG Convonix, a division of Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG), has implemented a social dashboard to measure global online buzz and chatter around Wimbledon 2013, the annual tennis tournament currently on in England.

     

    The dashboard (http://www.convonix.com/wimbledon), powered by Iristrack, SMG Convonix’ proprietary social listening and online brand monitoring platform, measures buzz around matches, identifies trending players, monitors fan support and more.  Thus far, the dashboard has logged more than 1.5 million Wimbledon related online conversations from around the world.

     

    “Tennis is a truly global sport, and we at Convonix are watching the world watch Wimbledon,” said Vishal Sampat, CEO, SMG Convonix. “Our unique social dashboard gives us the ability to deliver real time insights on social chatter as it happens all around the world.”

     

    Wimbledon 2013 is scheduled to draw to a close on Sunday, July 7.

     

  • Arnab Mitra (National Director, Starcom Mediavest Group) and Amit Tripathi (Managing Director, id8labs) have jointly invested in the recently launched Digital Marketing and Training Institute (DMTI)

    Arnab Mitra & Amit Tripathi invest in DMTI

    By A Correspondent

     

    Arnab Mitra (National Director, Starcom Mediavest Group) and Amit Tripathi (Managing Director, id8labs) have jointly invested an undisclosed amount in the recently launched Digital Marketing and Training Institute (DMTI), according to Rashmi Putcha, CEO – DMTI. The investment will be used as seed capital for the company to fund the operations of the education firm.

     

    DMTI was formed by Rashmi Putcha to offer multiple categories of training programs across Short Term and Medium Durations directly. The company has tied up with the likes of ITM group of Institutions and NIIT Imperia for partnering their long-term courses and certifying the students appearing for these courses.

     

    DMTI has already trained over 1,000 professionals thus far and has successfully been able to place some of these students at some of the leading Digital Marketing companies. DMTI program is a unique industry partnership where some of the leading Digital professionals are coming together to help build the quality manpower for the industry under an organized player with a strategic approach to deliver a product, which is closest to what is desired, by the industry.

     

    Mr Mitra and Mr Tripathi will be joining the Board of DMTI and will provide the company with the growth direction that it needs to take the company to the next level of an organized play in the largely unorganized Digital Marketing Education space.

     

    Speaking on the occasion Mr Tripathi said, “There is an urgent need to address the state of the quality of available resource for the rapidly growing Digital Media business. Presently, the industry is rapidly evolving and with it the needs and the demands of the business, however the quality of available resource has been lagging far behind. We believe that DMTI with its unique proposition is in a position to make an impact on this gaping need.”

     

    Mr Mitra added, “Great team, and a great vision, partnerships with industry leaders makes DMTI a unique combination of both sides of the spectrum, the supply and the demand. And thus offer insights which produces a pool of talent which is groomed from the start to meet the rigors of the Digital World.”

     

    Rashmi Putcha, CEO DMTI added, “We are delighted to have industry stalwarts like Arnab and Amit expressing confidence in the vision of DMTI and making the investment in the company. Their association will immensely benefit DMTI to the next level by bringing on board insights from their vast experience in the digital realm.”

     

  • He will join GroupM early in 2013 to succeed Vikram Sakhuja as GroupM South Asia CEO after quitting Starcom Mediavest yesterday

    CVL Srinivas to join GroupM as South Asia CEO

    By A Correspondent

     

    CVL Srinivas

    GroupM Asia Pacific today announced that CVL Srinivas will join GroupM early next year (2013) to succeed Vikram Sakhuja as GroupM South Asia CEO with responsibility for all GroupM operations in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

     

    Mr Srinivas (or ‘Srini’, as he is known in the industry) will also join the GroupM Asia Pacific executive committee. On October 9, Mr Srinivas had resigned from Starcom MediaVest Group as its Chairman-India and CEO, LiquidThread APAC. He had joined the group in January 2011.

     

    Vikram Sakhjua, former GroupM Asia CEO who was recently announced as Worldwide CEO for Maxus, will remain based in Mumbai.

     

    Mr Srinivas will report to Mark Patterson AP CEO GroupM. On the appointment, Mr Patterson commented, “Srini was our first choice by some stretch for this role. In his previous roles in GroupM he excelled and he rejoins us with more and different experiences under his belt, which will serve our clients, our people and our ambitions well. We have a world class business in theSouth Asiaregion and Srini has the skills, personality, relationships and attitude to build the business on strategy and with his own style and ideas too. He will add huge value inSouth Asia, to our business in the wider AP region and no doubt WW too. I am personally very excited and delighted to work with Srini closely once again as I am sure are many of his colleagues and friends in GroupM.”

     

    On his new role, Mr Srinivas commented, “I am really looking forward to taking up this role and going back to an organisation where I learnt the ropes and built a business. Vikram and his team have done a phenomenal job in growing the business and diversifying the service offerings to date. I am thrilled to be joining a talented team and working with such a portfolio of powerful media brands and fantastic clients. Mark has outlined a vision for the business regionally and globally that I am excited and challenged about and one I look forward to participating.”

     

    Mr Sakhuja said, “It has been a privilege and a joy over the past 15 years to work with Srini as a client, a colleague and a competitor. Srini brings truly disruptive thinking to the party and to my mind is the best person I can think of to take GroupM South Asia to an increasingly integrated, digital, data driven and addressable age. Welcome back to the family Srini.”

     

    In a career spanning over 20 years in media industry, Mr Srinivas, an XLRI Jamshedpur alumnus, has served as Chairman Starcom MediaVest Group (India) at Starcom MediaVest Group, Director- Private Treaties at Bennett Coleman & Co Ltd, CEO, Asia Pacific at GroupM (Maxus), COO at Madison Communications, and Media Head Personal Products & Foods Unilever account at Fulcrum (JWT).

     

  • Starcom continues its accounts winning spree with Radio Mirchi in its portfolio

    Radio Mirchi appoints Starcom as media partner

    By A Correspondent

     

    Starcom Worldwide has bagged the media mandate of leading radio network Radio Mirchi. The account will be handled from Starcom’s Mumbai office. It was previously with Madison. The agency is reported to started work on the new business.

     

    The win adds to a series of new business wins at Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) since the middle of last year, among which are Aircel, Dabur, Axis Bank, Zee Learning, Supermax, Sterling Holidays etc. SMG has also been aggressively strengthening their media product in India. The agency recently launched its proprietary Web+TV optimiser, billed as the first of its kind in the market.

     

    Confirming the news, G G Jayanta, National Head of Marketing, Radio Mirchi said: “we are pleased to appoint Starcom since we needed a partner who is future focussed and can help us navigate the new media landscape. Their in-house research and tools are very impressive and their media product and philosophy are pretty solid. We look forward to a long and rewarding association with Team Starcom”.

     

    Commenting on the win, Malli CR, CEO of SMG India said: “We are thrilled to win the Radio Mirchi account. Given the developments in this sector, we look forward to exciting times. We have planned some specific research and insights projects using our proprietary tools and optimisers”.