High expectations from the new, improved IPG in India
Interpublic Group’s (IPG) presence in India is stronger than ever before with the media conglomerate completely taking over its partners here – Lintas India and FCB Ulka. With a stronger footprint, IPG has planned initiatives which would hold it in a good stead to change the competitive dynamics of the media holding companies in India.

Should the likes of WPP be worried? WPP is the largest media holding company in India across domains – media, creative, direct and other disciplines. The last two years have seen close rival Interpublic Group (IPG) strengthen its presence in India in various ways. Lowe Lintas and Partners may have been rechristened Lowe Worldwide in 2001 itself, but the fact that India is important for IPG was distinctly seen in 2005.
What began as a new structure then has now turned into deep and expanded footprints with the take over of Lintas India and FCB Ulka, and IPG is a lot stronger than it has been ever before in India. More importantly, these initiatives have opened many more opportunities for India. Prem Mehta, Chairman and MD, Lintas India, pointed out, “Through this consolidation IPG would inevitably seek to integrate these businesses more closely into their global businesses. It would facilitate better exchange of tools and technology; exchange of people and expertise; develop the integrated and media businesses in India; data analytics and so on.”
He cautions that there would be no immediate major impact with this move in India, but over time it would help IPG to better utilise the Indian assets to develop businesses here. Another opportunity is to give the media units further scale in India, if a decision is taken to increase collaboration between the Lintas Media Group and Lodestar Universal.
Nonetheless it should be noted that some of the earlier IPG initiatives didn’t materialise in India, and a reason could’ve been its lack of control in Lintas India and FCB Ulka. An example was the creation of Magna Global in July, 2001, when IPG intended to consolidate its entire media buying under Magna Global. Nothing of the nature was seen in India.
On the recent IPG moves, Mehta divulged that the market feedback had been very positive. He said, “Clients are expecting more benefits with this. Also, IPG has the option now to bring in brands like Momentum and Rivet in India, which are very successful brands internationally.” He further informed that for IPG, this move also means that the Indian results can be shown in the American balance sheets, and that would be a substantial difference to IPG’s numbers.
An official communiqué further informed, “In addition to these units, IPG also has plans on setting up a 24-hour production studio in India, which can therefore enable Lintas India to offer cost-effective, holistic solutions to its clientele.”
The IPG track in India
Tracking some key IPG movements in India, in July 2005, as part of the global restructuring at Lowe Worldwide, Mehta was appointed to the Global Management Board of Lowe Worldwide. With this appointment, in addition to his responsibilities on the Worldwide Board, Mehta continued as Chairman and Managing Director of Lintas India. He also assumed regional responsibilities for the Lowe network in South Asia, which includes Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal.
Following the new structure, Lowe network, which has businesses in 91 countries, has been managed through 12 lighthouse agencies, each representing a ‘cluster’. India is one such lighthouse agency in view of its success, diversification and influence in the worldwide system. The new lighthouse structure eliminated the need for regional offices and ensured better alignment of the global team with cluster leaders.
Just as the effects of this was setting in, the second ever meeting of the Lowe Worldwide Board under the new global management was held in Mumbai between November 15 and 17, 2005. This was the first time Lowe Worldwide board met in India.
The big one came in August 2006, when IPG joined two of its media assets – Lodestar and Universal McCann in India and officially launched Lodestar Universal in India with Shashi Sinha as the CEO of this entity. The merger gave the agency significant billing figures to talk in the market about. At the same time, the Lintas Media Group on launched the national rollout of the Lowe Worldwide strategy planning toolkit at its annual senior management meet in Mumbai. The toolkit consists of 16 processes of which the Lintas Media Group has adopted four – Path2Purchase, GrowthGrid, MasterMind and Encounter.
Where such synchronies were taking place in India, Draft merged with FCB worldwide and the impact of that began trickling in India. One of the first steps included the identifying of four regions representing various markets, one of them being the South East Asian region, for which India is the hub. Correspondingly, FCB Ulka’s Anil Kapoor was made the President of the region.
Yet another IPG initiative in India was seen in July 2002 when it launched Interface Communications as a standalone agency. Interface exists in India as well, as a sibling to FCB Ulka, and has some key brands like Birla Cement, Mahindra and Mahindra amongst others.
Also see:
IPG to get complete control over FCB Ulka by Sept 2007; agency to be renamed Draft FCB Ulka
IPG acquires Lintas India; integrates it with Lowe Worldwide
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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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