Gearing for 2011: In conversation with Publicis' Nakul Chopra
Nakul Chopra, CEO, Publicis South Asia, speaks on the agency’s year gone and roadmap for 2011.

In all, 2010 was a year of quite a few changes for Publicis. Between its agencies Publicis Ambience and Publicis India, new accounts such as Aegis Global Academy, Apollo Tyres, Association of Mutual Funds in India, Cleartrip, Reserve Bank of India, TBZ and Voltas were added to the client roster. But for Nakul Chopra, CEO, Publicis South Asia, this was not enough.
He explained, “There have been wins, but they were not enough for the targets that we had set for ourselves. When you are a late entrant in the market and when you have your competitor so dominantly present, catching up is the strategic imperative. You don’t have a choice but to find a way to grow at twice or more the rate of industry growth. I don’t think our growth for 2010 is lacking if I benchmark it to industry’s performance, but it has not lived up to our personal expectations.”
A Year of Leadership Changes
Speaking to exchange4media, Chopra noted that the year 2010 had been a year of learning and experience. For him, Publicis Capital was the big thing of 2010 for the Group. He elaborated, “Publicis India is a culmination of four acquisitions, on the one side there is Publicis Ambience, which is the acquisition of Ambience, and on the other side is Publicis Capital, which is an acquisition of Zen, Madhyam, and now Capital. The ability to acquire and hold is a part of Publicis’ strategy in India. Today, in addition to some of our recent wins, we can boast of a client list that includes CitiBank, L’Oreal, Maruti Suzuki, Nestle, Nerolac Paints, Lakme and Unilever.”
However, Publicis Ambience saw two key exits in Aniruddha Banerjee (Chairman) and Prasanna Sankhe (National Creative Director). Chopra remarked, “We are not happy to see anyone go, but organisation is larger than the individual. As far as Prasanna was concerned, in 2007 we had put Ashish Khazanchi and Prasanna as Joint National Creative Directors. Certain decisions taken in 2009 with Ashish becoming Vice Chairman would have implications. The organisation had a choice to make and it made it, the individual had a choice and he exercised that and we must respect that. For me, this has happened in the most natural and systematic way.”
Publicis is not in the process of replacing the vacant CEO spot, even as the agency would be shortly announcing several key senior appointments. Chopra stressed, “I am not looking to replace the CEO, but there is a new organisational structure that has been mapped out and basis that mapping we will be finalising some senior level appointments – some in management, some in account management, some in creative and planning. We’ll have a new structure probably by the end of this quarter.”
Of New Benchmarks and Expectations
According to Chopra, since Publicis was fairly new compared to most of its competitors, the fastest way to grow was to set higher standards. He highlighted the ‘Maruti kitna deti hai’, ‘Main aur meri Maggi’, Nerolac Paints and the Garnier campaigns as some of the work that kept the agency busy last year.
“The other very significant achievement for us was our performance at the awards last year. In 2010, we were a very clear third, no matter which way you looked at it. We brought home our first ever Gold Lion too,” added Chopra.
Another significant development of 2010 has been the rapid establishment of Publicis Ambience in South India.
When asked whether digital had lived up to expectations, Chopra replied, “For the industry itself, perhaps no. The issue with digital is that at this point of time, the total digital pie in India is good, but it is virtually a no margin medium. Digital is like a tree, which will bear fruits soon, but it is not right now.”
While Chopra is confident of this growth phase continuing in 2011, he pointed out that as an industry, one must also be wary of the external environment. He was apprehensive about the price issue in 2011 and felt that with the cycle of prices and interest rates going up, several sectors, especially the likes of finance sector, would feel an impact. So far, Chopra said, he hadn’t seen signs of it and hoped that it did not happen in the future as well, though it remained an area of concern.
For him, a leap forward in the business could come by following a combination of continued focus on the creative product, aggressive expansion and geographical expansion.
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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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