Indian economy is growing at 5-6% which is terrific for IPG: Terry Peigh, MD
Peigh opens up on the India scheme of things for the group, shining through turbulent times, acquisitions and more

Outperforming several of its peers, ad giant Interpublic Group recently reported $2.1 billion in revenue in Q2, with organic growth of 3 per cent. Furthermore, putting up a stellar show at Cannes Lions 2019, the group picked up more Grand Prix than all the other global holding companies combined. IPG's Managing Director Terry Peigh, who recently visited India, not only shared his tracking study conducted across six countries right from 2009 but also chatted with exchange4media on the India scheme of things for the group, shining through turbulent times, acquisitions and more. He also let us in on what changes the digital revolution has brought about in paradigms and behaviour of consumers.
Edited excerpts below:
At a time when advertising agencies are navigating such a turbulent landscape with profits and revenues shrinking, IPG’s revenue increased by 9.1 per cent on an as-reported basis, and the net income went up by 16.9 per cent to $169.5 million. What do you attribute this growth to?
About 10-15 years ago, our company made a decision to reboot Interpublic, to go out and seek the highest level of creative, thinking, strategic and marketing talent in the world. We were successful in bringing these people who came to Interpublic with a goal and vision to seek and embrace the world’s best talent. It pays off in the work we are doing and our performance at Cannes. And there is more to come. We have an operating model for our cross-channel businesses that we work on primarily and open architecture where we integrate agencies together to serve client’s needs which is a great driver of our success globally.
What are the kind of growth and revenues IPG has witnessed from the Indian market point-of-view?
I know the economy is growing quite nicely at 5 or 6 per cent, which is terrific. We wished the US was growing at 5 or 6 per cent. We’ve got exceptionally strong brands here such as McCann, Lowe Lintas, Mullen Lowe, and FCB. This is one of the regions of the world where we're hitting on all three of our major global brands.
Can you elaborate on the acquisition of Acxiom and what the purchase will do for the holding company?
It brings us much closer to better understanding the consumer and the media consumer, helping us do media planning more effective. Acxiom has been very successful and have worked well for clients. We will better leverage that as we go forward.
Unlike many groups, you’ll have never siloed digital from rest of the business. How has that worked out for you?
In terms of integration across operations, we’ve seen great success with our open architecture model. The culture of IPG is one that allows great collaboration across disciplines.
There were quite a lot of structural changes with your competitors in 2019. Others, like WPP, have been active on the acquisition front. Do you expect any big changes within IPG?
We’ve made a major acquisition last year of Acxiom which was of US$2.3 billion, a huge one for us. It is a major strategic acquisition for us to help us get closer to customer data and we are incorporating that in most of our media work right now. We are very confident about how that’s going to pan out for us.
What are the paradigms of traditional marketing that you see changing?
The consumer today is more engaged than ever before, especially here in India. He wants to learn more about products, wants to tell others about products which is a great advantage for brands and marketers because you have a consumer that is able, willing and interested. The consumer is saying, “I am shifting to what I trust. I trust personal, one-to-one communication more than ever before, so I need to get more.” They are much more demanding of products and want higher delivery of products. There is much more engagement in the entire process. We’re seeing consumers say that it is a two-way process, I want to be involved, I want to have a communication and give feedback about the product. We’ve seen the whole notion of ‘private labels’ change because what represents a brand is shifting dramatically. They do not have the notion of ‘private labels’ as ‘cheap and poor quality’. Brands are now ill-prepared to face the real battle of private labels.
What are the areas IPG will be increasingly investing in as we go forward?
We’ve always been a big investor in talent and it will always remain a big area for us. These days, with the problems that other holding companies are having, we are getting a lot of resumes and retainer people which we are embracing happily.
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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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