DAN eyeing more than $1 billion in billings in 2018: Ashish Bhasin
Bhasin hopes that with this expanded base that DAN has developed, in 2018 DAN India should grow at least 2-2.5 times the rate at which the industry is growing

Dentsu Aegis Network India has had one of its best years yet in 2017. Led by its vision to be a future ready and digitally-savvy network, DAN India acquired the SVG Media, Sri Lanka’s Grant Group, and the also Sokrati making the network a leader in the search and performance marketing arena. “2017 has been a brilliant year for us. In a year when the market was struggling, we grew by 60%. Given the market environment, this is an unparalleled record. We grew at almost 6 times the market’s growth, with equal contribution from both organic and inorganic growth,” said Ashish Bhasin, Chairman and CEO, South Asia, Dentsu Aegis Network. Powered with the strength of its agencies and 3,500 staffers DAN India is eyeing more than $ 1 billion in billings in 2018.
As per the network’s claims, it also accomplished its goal to close the gap between the British holding company WPP early this year, becoming India’s second largest advertising group. The jury is still out on this assessment of who is second largest group, with Interpublic and Publicis disputing the claim. However, DAN is confident of its position. “Becoming the second-largest advertising group in India, we overturned 80 years of history,” noted Bhasin.
Inorganic growth has given wings to the network in India. DAN India has led 12 acquisitions in last three years, of which three key acquisitions happened in 2017. Acquiring SVG Media marked the launch of Columbus (Asia Pacific digital marketing agency of DAN) in India. With the acquisitions of Sokrati DAN brought in the data driven performance agency Merkle to India. “In two years period between 2016 and 2018 we would have doubled the agency,” said Bhasin.
Bhasin hopes that with this expanded base that DAN has developed, in 2018 DAN India should grow at least 2-2.5 times the rate at which the industry is growing. “I would be disappointed with any growth less that 25%. We would like to grow at minimum twice the market’s growth rate,” he added.
The digital focus of the Japanese giant is evident in its past acquisitions: Webchutney, WATConsult, Communicate 2 (iProspect). “In 2018 we are aiming at getting almost 45% of our revenues from digital. I want to make nearly half of the company digital because our vision is that there is no business that will not be impacted by digital. We want to future proof our agency and lay the groundwork so that in the next few of years 50% of our business is digital,” added Bhasin. The soon-to-be published DAN-e4m 2018 report shows that digital is growing at three times the advertising industry, to which Bhasin added. “Therefore, we want to make sure that the bigger part of our business is growing at three times the rate or more. We are about 2.5 times our next competitor in search and performance (led by iProspect, Sokrati and SVG). We will want to maintain that lead.”
Bhasin sees the ad land as an entity which will be driven by digital. “We do not see media as traditional and non-traditional media. Whether it is Outdoor, PR, Creative or ‘traditional’ media everyone of our businesses should be future proofed and future ready. Each of these businesses will be impacted by digital and therefore should be leading in digital,” he said. The network is focussed on making sure that every single DAN employee is digitally trained. “Of our 3,500 staff, 1,600 are in our digital agencies. It doesn't matter where in DAN you are, if you are a part of DAN India you have to be digitally ahead because that is the vision of the company,” added Bhasin.
Bhasin attributes a large part of DAN’s success story in India to the one P&L model. Competitors have been trying to emulate the one P&L model with partial success so far, but DAN has had a headstart in this regard. “We are able to give all the benefits of super-specialisation without the hassles of silos. We want to keep building on the lead that we have and develop the most diversified group,” said Bhasin.
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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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