I couldn’t be more confident about our prospects in India: Wendy Clark, DDB Worldwide
Wendy Clark, CEO, DDB Worldwide, talks to exchange4media on her visit to India about the importance of the market to the organisation, growing battle for the best talent, DDB Flex model and more

Wendy Clark, CEO, DDB Worldwide is making her second visit to India, a market she insists is very important to the agency. As someone who started out in this industry as a receptionist, Clark has emerged as one of the few women at the CEO position in a creative agency. India is one of the many countries Clark will tour through the next three months.
“We have been working on our global point of view from a strategy and creative perspective that we announced earlier. I am going around the world to key markets to ensure that we are inculcating that strategic point of view, the frameworks, the tools, and then the resulting creativity are all now well underway,” she said.
Here are a few excerpts from a freewheeling chat with Clark.
What opportunities do you see in India right now?
The Indian market is very critical. We have a lot of global relationships that manifest here from McDonald’s to Johnson & Johnson, Volkswagen, Unilever and others. So, on the one hand we have got our global relationships, and then on the other we have got wonderful local partnerships. I was at Star on Monday, and I am going to visit some more clients in Bangalore this week. This will be my first visit to the city. The idea is to meet with clients, get some internal focus, talk about the industry a little bit and just get better insights and understanding about the industry. The more I can build my brand, the better I can be at my job. The India market is very important to us – we have 850 people here. I intend to ensure we continue to grow and progress. Obviously, I don’t need to tell you anything about the potential of this country and the growth that the world sees. My entire position is just to continue the good work that’s been done before and to enhance and accelerate it.
Tell us about DDB Flex, the new operating model that you have created using cross-agency teams based on client needs. What are some of the success stories there?
DDB Flex, more than anything, is a philosophy that is based on a lot of my previous experiences. These are experiences as a client where I felt some amount of frustration that I needed to knit together the agency’s capabilities in a way that works for me, but it wasn’t really readily available in the marketplace. When we talk to our clients, there are three things on their minds, and this is pretty consistent across every client. One is growth, the other speed and agility and the third is efficiency. They want that speed, they want that growth at a great price and efficiently. So, these are the things we are working on. And Flex really sought to take all the capabilities that a particular client needs and put them together in a way that was right for brands and companies, which would yield speed and agility and at an efficient rate and cost. Now across our portfolio of clients, we are demonstrating that we can fluidly connect capabilities with speed and yield efficiency.
You left Coca Cola to join DDB in 2015. You are the best person therefore to tell us how the client-agency equation has evolved in recent times. How have client requirements changed?
In areas where our client-agency relationships have been the best, there is usually the most important element of trust. The brands that are winning at Cannes – how do they and their agencies make that happen? What’s behind that great work is a relationship that is really steeped in trust, something that is not easy to get to. Trust is one of those enduring truths. Certainly, the rise of new capabilities and the availability of data today also facilitate better outcomes. But I still believe where there is trust, there is great work.
You stepped away from Time’s Up Advertising after there was a controversy about hiring former Droga5 CCO Ted Royer, and later admitted your mistake in putting ‘business first’. How big a challenge is finding the right talent in this industry?
I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that there is a talent war at the moment and that we are all sparring for talent a lot of times. The emergence and rise of some digital players like Google and Facebook are creating competition for talent. On the plus side, that’s a positive thing. It is a good thing for talent in general and it makes our industry more attractive.
What is the mandate for Aditya Kanthy, and what are your expectations out of India?
The mandate for Aditya is continue the great legacy that we have here at DDB Mudra but also to make sure that we are ready for the future. That has to do with recruiting the right people and creating the right leadership team. And I have seen him do great things in the last year. Ultimately, what we are going to deliver on is what our clients want from us – new and incremental sources of growth and agility in their communications partners at an efficient price. That is what Aditya will be focused on along with the leadership team that he has recruited here, and I couldn’t be more confident about our prospects in India.
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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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