10 takeaways from IPG Mediabrands India roundtable @Cannes Lions
IPG Mediabrands brought agency officials and Indian advertisers together to focus on India

IPG Mediabrands brought together executives from India and the region to delve on some of the key characteristics of India as a market and the changes impacting the communication industry in India.
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Present in the IPG Mediabrands India roundtable where Matt Seiler, Global CEO, IPG Mediabrands; Jim Hytner, recently announced CEO of Initiative Worldwide; Jeff Lupinacci, Global CFO, IPG Mediabrands; Shashi Sinha, CEO, Lodestar UM and other Mediabrands officials such as Guy Beach, who was recently promoted to the head of G-14 markets (the cluster that includes India) of UM.
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The roundtable also saw participation from key Mediabrands clients in India including Rahul Welde, Vice President – Media, Unilever, Asia, Africa, Middle East and Turkey; Vivek Nayar, Senior Vice President, Marketing at Mahindra & Mahindra; and Ajay Kakar, CMO-Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group.
Focussing on India and the changes in the market, the first remark made was that India is a sentiment-driven country and emotions, which could also lead to the thought of a slowdown in the country, were likely to play a stronger role in defining the Indian consumer’s behaviour than rationale. At the same time, the Indian consumer was optimist by nature and the country was expected to recover from any conversation of slowdown in three to six months.
10 takeaways from the IPG Mediabrands India roundtable
1. Be in India to win in India
India as a market, while was impacted with developments in markets such as the United States and United Kingdom, but they are not cornerstone to a company’s India strategy. To make a difference in India, it was important for a company and its key officials to be in India
2. The impact of monsoon, politics and social changes
The coming months are crucial for the future of the Indian market as some of the key developments that includes the monsoons and the impact it has on the Indian economy, the clouded weather that the Indian political scenario was facing and the pace of social change in India.
3. Tier II and tier III towns driving growth in India
At present, the growth driver markets for India are the tier two and tier three towns.
4. The ‘parallel’ sentiment
India is amongst the few markets, where on one hand some sectors are feeling the pinch of slowdown but some of the other sectors continue to see growth – sectors such as FMCG that deal in ‘everyday’ brands for instance would still see sale but the sectors, where more considered decisions have to be taken can be affected.
5. Innovations and value proposition are key differentiators
Even in a slowdown climate, the advertisers from India feel that when they go to the consumer with some innovation or a value proposition, the response is visible on the brand by way of conversation and in the form of sales
6. India’s differentiated digital capability
Unlike markets such as China and Japan that were great digital markets but still lacked a reliable digital campaign tracking mechanism, India offered a much stronger ecosystem, where digital investments could be tracked for returns. China and Japan were still working on cost per day model but India did not own huge digital investments such as China and Japan.
7. Media agencies can take more responsibility
Media agencies wanted to play a role with the advertiser to partner them in their long-term objectives than just be ‘agencies’ working on a company’s communication.
8. Pay-for-performance model
The pay-for-performance model attracted positive conversations and while IPG Mediabrands applies the model in key markets, pay-for-performance seemed to be a way many agencies and advertisers would develop further in days to come.
9. Media agencies’ leadership becoming the go-to people
Apart from agencies and advertisers leadership teams connecting with each other, the leadership of media agencies also needed to surface and indicate who the go-to people are in the leadership team of the agency.
10. Media vs. creative
Advertisers said that in a comparison between media and creative agencies, media agencies were better placed to be the advertiser’s partner because of the inherent nature of the agency, given that is where the advertiser’s money was ‘controlled’ and the data and insights that media agencies were able to bring to the table.
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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur
The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more
With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.
The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.
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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out
The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'
Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."
The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."
COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.
Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.
He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board
e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.
According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.
As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.
A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.
Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.
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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall
The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall
Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.
“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.
“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."
"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."
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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias
Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments
KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.
Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy
Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.
Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."
Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."
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