I want Modi to succeed: Sir Martin Sorrell

Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO, WPP praises Brand Modi, shares his thoughts on Indian brands, identifies WPP's competition and says acquiring Madison is off the table

e4m by Priyanka Mehra
Published: Sep 9, 2014 9:24 AM  | 4 min read
I want Modi to succeed: Sir Martin Sorrell

WPP Chief Executive Sir Martin Sorrell is in high spirits as he dissects brand Modi, shares his thoughts on Indian brands, identifies competition and puts in a word of praise for Ogilvy India's creative leadership, says Madison is off the table from an acquisition perspective, all in a brief chat. Excerpts.

What are your expectations from PM Modi? What is your view on brand Modi?

Brand Modi means leadership. He is a very good communicator, he understands brands, understands the importance of personality, communication. Leadership is important to run a country as well as a company. Expectations are at a high level whether you look at the stock market or talk to people on the ground. It is early days but I think he does signal a tremendous understanding of the importance of communication. The question is, can you implement? Are you going to have the strategy and the vision, with the implementation?

If there’s economic growth, we will see media growth. The faster the economy grows, the faster the media grows and the faster our businesses grow. I want him to succeed. The ground work has been done, now you have to complete the building. The question is, he did it in Gujarat, can he do it on a national scale. I hope he can.

What is your advice to Indian brands?

The fundamental message is that strong brands win. Weak brands don’t. Money spent on branding is not a cost, it’s an investment. The payoff is fundamental. In other words, companies that invest in their brands have strong brands.


Anymore acquisitions in the pipeline for India?

The best acquisition we can make in India is organic growth. That is one thing. The second thing is, some of our competitors have made ill-advised acquisitions in India. One of our competitors; actually said in the first quarter or the second quarter their revenues were down by 11 per cent in India. Something is wrong in that case, because you don’t drop to 11 per cent in a country like India unless you have a massive problem. That’s not a client delaying or deferring a budget, there’s something much more fundamental. I think there have been some ill-judged acquisitions as you’ve seen with Publicis in Brazil. We saw Omnicom acquire Mudra, we don’t know how that worked out. Dentsu has been very aggressive with Taproot, but I think the structure of that deal and the valuation was way out of line. I mean, it certainly changed the valuation metrics in the Indian market. 

The best way for us to grow is organically. In India, if there are things that we think are right for us and if we think the value is right, we’ll do it. We’ve done it 13 times in the last ten years in India, and seven times in the last five years in India. There have been companies, small and medium-sized companies which we thought from valuation point made sense.

So there is no possibility of acquiring Madison?

We have a joint company with Madison which is doing extremely well, (MediaCom) But Sam is impossible, in a good way.

Who would you consider your competitors in India?

In India, IPG, Dentsu Aegis, Taproot. That’s it really.

How do you strike the balance between data and creative or science and art as you refer to them?

It is not for me to strike the balance; it is for me to indicate that the balance should be struck. I think some of our people do too much on the qualitative side and some do too much on the quantitative side. Often our business may be too suit driven than creative driven. Ogilvy is very interestingly led in India by a creative genius, and yet he manages the business very well and he understands the balance. It’s interesting that some of the best agencies, globally and locally, are being run by creative people. They have understood the need for the balance but there are creative people who don’t. There has to be a balance, it doesn’t make a sensational article until someone says it is all science, it is all art. But very disappointingly it is a boring both.


 

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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

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:15 PM  | 1 min read
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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'

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:07 PM  | 1 min read
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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 by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 11:48 AM  | 1 min read
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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

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 10:54 AM  | 1 min read
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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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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:39 PM  | 1 min read

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:38 PM  | 1 min read

KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias

Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 24, 2023 3:35 PM  | 1 min read
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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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