Starcom India has announced the appointment of Rachana Shah Monteiro as the West Head for India. As a Senior Vice President, she will be responsible for leading and strengthening client relationships and business growth for the West office. In her last stint at Mediacom, she led the AOR for P&G Indian subcontinent.
Said Niti Kumar, COO, Starcom India: “I am really excited to welcome Rachana into the Starcom family. She has a proven record in managing large businesses and teams and her expertise will help us drive more value for our diverse portfolio of clients. We have a fabulous team in Mumbai and I am confident that with Rachana at the helm they will strive toward greater heights.”
Added Shah Monteiro: “I strongly believe that the entire media agency model is segueing towards the collaboration of specialisations, in driving omnichannel marketing for the client. Starcom has a heterogeneous, very strong portfolio of clients and is known for bringing in compelling brand experiences through the use of data and technology. I look forward to delivering integrated value propositions that drive immense growth for clients and further strengthening Starcom’s culture of innovation and collaboration.”
Publicis Group’s Starcom has strengthened its leadership team by appointing Niti Kumar as Chief Operating Officer. In this role, she will be responsible for client deliverables, revenue growth and new business development across the agency’s offices. Kumar will report to Rathi Gangappa, CEO of Starcom India and will work closely with the senior leadership at Publicis Media to consolidate businesses and drive integrated solutions.
On the appointment, Gangappa said: “I believe that there is immense growth potential in the market today, especially considering the shifts we are likely to see in consumer and work place habits in a post- pandemic era. This is the right time for Starcom to recruit the right talent, drive future-focused capabilities and to grow the agency’s business through innovative and organic streams. Niti has a successful track record of driving new business growth and fits right into this vision. I am confident that her rich experience in marketing communications will be an asset that will add immense value to our clients and people alike. ”
Before joining Starcom, Kumar was Senior Vice President at Penguin Random House India. She has also worked in leadership roles at GroupM (Managing Partner North & East at Mediacom) and Mudra Communications (Office Head, Media, Delhi & Kolkata).
Embarking on her new role as COO, Kumar added: “I’ve always believed in the power of communications to influence a brand’s business impact and their relationship with consumers. Starcom has a diverse and interesting portfolio of clients, and I’m looking forward to working with them to drive more value, innovation and effectiveness for their media investments while also using the agency’s unique offerings to grow and strengthen the teams and the business”
Over the last couple of months, we have seen many surveys which have looked at the current level of global and local media revenue and its recovery path over the next two to three years. Most of these surveys have highlighted the bright picture looming at the end of the tunnel. Last week, I came across a survey released by www.emarketer.com which has focussed on three key media trends sweeping the pandemic hit world, providing the advertising and media industry with deep insights.
On October 23, 2020 eMarketer released Global Media Intelligence Report for 2020, produced in collaboration with Starcom and GlobalWebIndex covering 42 major markets in the world with a focus on internet users’ engagement with digital and traditional media.
The first trend observed in the study indicates that ownership of PCs and tablets are declining in many countries including India. “Between H1 2019 and H1 2020, ownership of desktops, laptops, and/or tablets declined most sharply in developing markets, including Brazil, China, Egypt, and India—all countries where the focus has long been on mobile devices and services. But the same trend appeared to a lesser degree in several other countries too, including France, Russia, Sweden, and the US.” This trend indicates that smartphones are consolidating their position as the primary screen across the pandemic hit world both in the developed as well as in the developing countries among the internet users. (https://www.emarketer.com/content/3-key-trends-shaping-media-landscape-this-year?ecid=NL1009)
We already know that in India mobile phones are playing a crucial role in spreading digital media communication with more and more mobile-first internet users coming to the market. This study shows that while there has been hardly any change in the ownership of smartphones from HI2019 to H12020 as it is already near saturation level, the time spend on the device has gone up marginally. “96.0% of internet users ages 16 to 64 owned a smartphone in H1 2020—a figure unchanged since H1 2019. In addition, one in 10 respondents had a feature phone. Time spent with mobile devices averaged 3 hours, 37 minutes (3:37) per day, 1 minute more than in 2019.” Compared to 2019 the ownership percentage of PCs and tablets have come down from 72% to 54.2%, showing a significant decline. Comparatively, ownership of tablets was less affected with only a drop from 24.5% to 22.3%. Time spent by Indians with their PCs and tablets declined sharply from by 45 minutes per day (https://www.emarketer.com/content/global-media-intelligence-2020-india).
The second trend emphasises on digital video which continues to close its gap with broadcast TV. In the western countries the share of internet users watching free or paid for digital video have already surpassed the share watching live TV or are almost equal to it. In India, it will take a longer time for a similar trend to set in, but the warning signs should not be ignored by the TV channels who have not yet invested in OTT business.
Based on the various trend of digital media consumption among the internet users, the study predicts that by 2024, digital ad spending worldwide will become $526.17 billion and will account for 62.6% of the total media ad spending. The growth rate of digital ad spend will fall sharply during 2020, but will rise equally sharply in 2021. Over 2022 to 2024. The growth rate of digital ad spending is expected to fall gradually, but its share in the total media ad revenue will continue to grow year on year as shown in the chart below.
Source: eMarketer
In India, it will take many years before the digital ad spending crosses 50% of the total media ad spending. However, as shown in the recently published M&E industry Report 20202 by KPMG, the trend of ad spending on digital and OTT crossing the ad spending on TV media, is expected to set in by FY 2022 (https://www.mxmindia.com/2020/10/the-great-churning-of-the-media-cauldron/).
The third trend observed in the study indicates that the pandemic is probably hastening the decline of print media: “Print audiences aren’t shrinking everywhere, but print newspapers and magazines did register many of the most dramatic decreases in media engagement this year.” In India, traditional print industry seems to be in a buoyant and positive mood during the current festive season. Some large newspaper houses have also posted good growth during the third quarter of 2020. But, the Pitch Madison Advertising Midyear Review 2020 released in August, 2020 estimated a loss of 31% to 36% in print ad expenditure from 2019 to 2020 (https://www.mxmindia.com/2020/08/dramatic-changes-in-indian-ad-industry/). Only time will tell if COVID 19 will hasten the process of decline of the print media in India.
Starcom has won the media duties of Nykaa, the cosmetics and wellness products e-tailer, that has attained much equity in just three-odd years of existence. Said Rathi Gangappa, CEO, Starcom India: “This is a prestigious win for us. Through innovative ideas and fresh thinking and insights on the brand, we demonstrated strong media value and will help Nykaa exceed its core marketing KPIs. We look forward to partnering with Nykaa on their expansion plans and are committed to their growth and success.â€
Added Hitesh Malhotra, Chief Marketing Officer, Nykaa.com: “Starcom brings in a mature team that understands the periphery of beauty and the dynamicity of eCommerce – both of which are sacrosanct to Nykaa. In a fragmented landscape where the consumer’s attention is split across multiple devices, it is imperative that knowledge of omnichannel messaging is delivered through the sheer power of media, partnerships and innovation. Starcom’s valuable media inputs, experience and expertise will enhance our brand further; their hunger and startup culture of collaboration truly mirrors our own. We are confident that Starcom will help us unlock new consumer connections and will maximise returns on our media investments.â€
Publicis Media agencies Zenith and Starcom were named a leader and a strong performer, respectively, in The Forrester Wave: Global Media Agencies, Q3 2018. Both agencies were among the select companies that Forrester invited to participate in this evaluation of the media agency landscape, notes a communique from the media agency holding firm.
Zenith received the second-highest score in the Strategy and Current Offering categories, and was recognised for its ability to converge commerce and media to drive client growth. The report noted that the agency’s heritage as one of the first independent media networks sets the stage for its vision to master the newly converging media and commerce landscape, and cites its investments in eCommerce, personalization, marketing consulting, automation, AI and data visualisation skills and tools.
Starcom was named a strong performer, and was noted for its ability to blend operational excellence with digital prowess. According to the report, Starcom’s “reputation as a strong media operations partner has allowed it to catch up its data practice and integrated approach to planning and activation.†The report also cites that “Starcom shows strength in operationalizing its HX process into media strategy, communications planning, buying and activation.â€
Starcom has appointed Rathi Gangappa as Chief Executive Officer in India. Gangappa comes with over 20 years experience in media and brand communications. She was until recently COO at MediaCom, where she was in charge of day-to-day operations and managing key client relationships across Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. Her past stints also include Vodafone, Onmobile Global Ltd, Maxus and Lowe Lintas.
Anupriya Acharya
Said Anupriya Acharya, CEO, Publicis Media India on the appointment:  “We’re delighted to have Rathi join us. Her immense experience across agency, client and publisher eco-systems and demonstrated capabilities across the entire gamut of marketing and crand communications is exemplary. She shares our view on the consumer journey being ever-evolving and the challenges it poses to brands and is passionate about Starcom’s Human Experience approach. She will no doubt be an asset and will add value to our clients and people alike.â€
Added Gangappa: “I am very excited to join Starcom, especially at a time when the agency has gained so much momentum. Starcom’s Human Experience focus connects human values with brand objectives, delivering seamless integrated communications. I look forward to driving business results for clients and adding to the Starcom culture of innovation and collaboration. It has a wonderful set of clients both locally and globally and a really strong backing of Publicis Media.â€
Starcom India has been awarded the media duties of ride-share major Ola. The Publicis Media agency will oversee the account’s media planning and buying across both traditional and digital media. The mandate is for India, as well as for upcoming international markets that Ola will operate in. The account, pegged in the region of Rs 200, was earlier held by GroupM agency Motivator.
Deepak Sharma
Said Deepak Sharma, Managing Director, Starcom North: “Ola was impressed with our strategic planning skills, led by the Human Experience (HX) approach, as also with our strong data and analytics-led capabilities. They are on an incredibly exciting journey and we look forward to being a part of their growth and expansion plans.â€
Added Mudit Shekhawat, Senior Director, Marketing at Ola: “We are excited to partner with Starcom. Their teams were able to demonstrate strong insights on the category and brought in fresh ideas and thinking on the brand. Their expertise in integrated communications strategies and smart execution will help in further consolidating our leadership in this industry. We are excited to work with them.â€
Starcom has won the media duties of eyewear retailer, Lenskart. Said Mallikarjun Das, Group CEO, Starcom India: “It’s a privilege to be associated with Lenskart, a reputed brand in optics. The Starcom approach is to drive human actions and thereby business outcomes through transformative experiences and data-driven understanding. An important factor that determined our win has been our ROI centric planning approach through state- of- the-art TARDIIS which clearly gives us an edge over competitors. Increasingly, optimisation and automation is the way to go. We look forward to unlocking greater consumer connections for Lenskart and coming up with increasingly creative solutions.â€
As per industry estimates, India’s retail market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10 percent to $1.6 trillion by 2026 from $641 billion in 2016. India’s e-commerce market is expected to reach $220 billion in terms of gross merchandise value (GMV) and 530 million shoppers by 2025.
Starcom has won the media mandate of BookMyShow. The mandate includes print, television, radio, cinema and outdoor. BookMyShow is India’s largest online entertainment ticketing platform that allows users to book tickets for movies, plays, sports and live events through its website, mobile app and mobile site. BookMyShow is now present in over 650 towns and cities across India, currently meeting the entertainment demands of millions of customers.
Says Mallikarjun Das, Group CEO, Starcom India: “We are pleased to be working with BookMyShow, a reputed brand and a one-stop destination for entertainment screenings and events in India. The Starcom approach is to drive human actions and thereby business outcomes through transformative experiences and data-driven communication. BookMyShow is expanding rapidly and we look forward to unlocking new consumer connections for them and delivering bang for the buck on their media investments. We will provide them with agile solutions and help them achieve maximum exposure and eyeballs.â€
Added Marzdi Kalianiwala, VP- Business Intelligence and Marketing, BookMyShow: “We are pleased to welcome Starcom on board as a strategic media partner and look forward to benefiting from their experience and expertise in integrated communication strategies. We have always kept our users at the centre of our universe and as we scale and embark on new and exciting opportunities, we are confident that together with Starcom we will be able to reach out to our users more effectively and efficiently.â€
Merck’s Consumer Healthcare Division has appointed Starcomas its global media agency partner, following a competitive pitch and after an appropriate transition period.
The scope of the agreement will aim at Starcom taking on full media responsibilities on behalf of Merck’s Consumer Healthcare brands across markets that Merck Consumer Healthcare operates globally,includingNeurobion®, Bion3®, Nasivin®, Seven Seas®, DoloNeurobion® and Femibion®.
Beate Rosenthal, Global Brand Director, Merck Consumer Healthcare comments: “We are very excited to expand our previous relationship with Starcom to now be working with Starcom as our new Global Media partner. Starcoms Global organization andprofound expertise in integrated communication strategies and execution coupled with a highly energetic team will allow us to further build Merck love brands in the digital age.â€
Lisa Donohue, Global Brand President, Starcom said: “We are thrilled that Starcom has been selected as the partner to advance Merck’s Consumer Healthcare division into the future. They are on an exciting journey, and we look forward to delivering the agility, digital savvy and scale to unlock deep consumer connections with their brands.â€
Leading media agency network Starcom has bagged the search engine optimisation digital mandate of FMCG major Dabur India.
The mandate will include building engagement and visibility for eight of Dabur’s online brands which includes Mybeautynaturally.com, Livveda.com, Daburdentalcare.com, Daburhoney.com, Realfruitpower.com and Realactiv.com. The mandate previously lay with a clutch of separate companies and Dabur has now consolidated this business with Starcom. Publicis Media‘s digital practice Performics.Convonix (formerly known as SMG Convonix) will power all the work on this business.
Said Mallikarjun Das, Group CEO, Starcom: “I think that the days of hard-selling are over, and today, it is more about visibility, conversation and engagement which the digital medium offers, by way of transformative experiences. Most packaged goods companies are only just realising the power of digital and very few havedistinct and marque online properties. Dabur India stands out in this regard. We will build for them a cohesive strategy on search, so that so that consumers can discover useful products and access thumb-stopping content, enforcing positive change in their lives.â€
Said Rohit Prakash Gupta, Head – Marketing Services at Dabur India Ltd on the development: “In this hyper-competitive FMCG industry, the need and relevance of SEO has grown manifold as consumer are consuming more and more internet to find solutions for their daily living. Earlier, our SEO mandate was fragmented and we realised a specialist is needed to provide greater consumer experience. This step adds more value to the entire process of optimizing webpages in a sense that now we try to optimise pages to get more relevant traffic. Also, with Starcom as a media partner and Convonix as an SEO partner, we expect greater synergies in our offline and online communications.â€
Close on the heels of winning SAB Miller from Starcom, MediaCom has won the mydala.com media business following a closely fought pitch against IPG’s Lodestar. mydala is the largest online and mobile coupon and discount marketing platform site in India, and is now focusing on driving growth and new acquisitions through mass media brand building activities.
Commenting on the win, Anisha Singh, Co-Founder & CEO, mydala, said, “We are happy to announce this association. mydala is growing at a phenomenal pace and working with MediaCom will help in pushing the boundaries and reaching out to our customer base in innovative and creative ways.â€
Says Niti Kumar, General Manager, MediaCom Delhi, who led the pitch “Ecommerce is the buzziest category on media today, and working with a unique model like mydala will be a great learning experience for the team. We are super excited!â€
Over the last couple of months, we have seen many surveys which have looked at the current level of global and local media revenue and its recovery path over the next two to three years. Most of these surveys have highlighted the bright picture looming at the end of the tunnel. Last week, I came across a survey released by www.emarketer.com which has focussed on three key media trends sweeping the pandemic hit world, providing the advertising and media industry with deep insights.
