'82.5 Communications is seeking non-WPP partnerships as well'
A candid chat with the creative duo - Sumanto Chattopadhyay, Chairman & CCO, and VS Srikanth, CEO of 82.5 Communications reveals they have their feet planted firmly on the ground of Indianness

Ogilvy India has been all over the news in the last couple of weeks with several important announcements around key appointments and developments. Another such announcement has been the rebranding of Soho Square as 82.5 Communications. Sumanto Chattopadhyay, Chairman and CCO, 82.5 Communications and VS Srikanth, the CEO of this new entity got candid with exchange4media on why this development was needed, its structure, clients and building business out of Ogilvy’s halo.
The duo that have their feet firmly planted on the ground of Indian-ness share that the rationale behind the name 82.5 is that it is the longitude of the Indian Standard Time. And rightly so, we’re told that the entity wants to capture the essence of India. When we quiz them about why the development was needed, Chattopadhyay says, “We wanted to reinvent ourselves, re-found our agency as one that stands for ingenious Indian ideas.”
Srikanth adds, “If you look at within the WPP Group, there is Ogilvy which is a creative powerhouse and everyone knows what it’s capable of. For all of us to grow together, we were clear that it shouldn’t be a parking lot of businesses that Ogilvy cannot handle. We need to have our own conflict-management, our own positioning and our own philosophy. We realised that without that we were not going to grow collectively as a group.”
The intent is to function as an open-source platform model, revealing that they would be open to partnerships outside the WPP group as well. “We are actively going out and seeking non-WPP partnerships as well,” says Chattopadhyay. The set of clients that the entity will tie-up with, Srikanth says would range from Indian start-ups, small or large to multinational brands.
Speaking about the team’s strength, he adds that it would be around 150 people and are confident that they don’t intend to make it much larger. They acknowledge that the agency has been launched with business in hand and don’t aspire to say a no to a brief, going forward. “All that we’re looking for is just the ideal partner to make it happen. The next one year we need to put our money where our mouth is and show the world examples of the kind of things we’re talking about,” says Chattopadhyay.
When asked about how the agency’s clients have reacted to the rebranding, they say they've been able to garner a very positive feedback from them. Highlighting the structure of 82.5 Chattopadhyay explains, “We are still going to be the core agency for our clients and are going to have an extended team, some who belong to our agency and some partner companies.” The duo emphasises that it will be about forging partnerships without having it in-house in a very heavy legacy structure. “The intention is to be as independent as possible,” they exclaim.
On building the business out of Ogilvy’s halo, Chattopadhyay says, “There is something like Ogilvy halo, no doubt. What’s been exciting for me is that I think it’s great that we’re going into things without baggage and have our destiny in our hands. It’s nice to have a parent company but we have been given a mandate and freedom to say that go out and create your own destiny.”
Speaking about the game-plan ahead, they share that non-standard work will remain a focal area, “Whatever we do, raising the creative bar, in whatever medium, we must have the cutting-edge of creative excellence which is going to be my mandate," maintains Chattopadhyay. Srikanth adds that another key target is to widen client engagement. “We want to have at least half the clients we work with today and want them to start talking to us for communication requirements that go beyond advertising,” he asserts.
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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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