MEC and Maxus merger into Wavemaker has resonated well with the clients: Kartik Sharma

With 700 plus employees and a data base of 375000 people’s responses across 35 different countries, the agency is all set to create waves across India. Led by Kartik Sharma, South Asia Managing Director, the agency already has clients like FMCG giant ITC and L’Oréal

e4m by Naziya Alvi Rahman
Published: Nov 27, 2017 8:48 AM  | 4 min read

On November 9, GroupM's Wavemaker, created from the merger of Maxus and MEC, opened its doors for business in India. With 700 plus employees and a data base of 375000 people’s responses across 35 different countries, the agency is all set to create waves across India. Led by Kartik Sharma, South Asia Managing Director, the agency already has clients like FMCG giant ITC and L’Oréal. As the agency takes off on its new journey, exchange4media spoke to Kartik Sharma.

Excerpts:

As per the description on your site, your business is to support, consult and execute the decision-making for CEOs and CMOs. You help bring together data, creativity and platforms to help the best brands in the world make the future they want by making better choices today. Aren’t all agencies offering these services? How is Wavemaker different?

I think what makes us different is our brand purchase journey. For instance, buying a soap is very different from buying jewellery. There are multiple touch-points and influences that play an important role. Understanding the purchase journey gives us a lot of cues to craft our strategy. We have a head start with a data base of 375000 people’s responses across 35 different countries with us. It is 3.5 times more than what any other research agency in the world may have.

How did the MEC and Maxus merger resulting in Wavemaker helped you serve your clients better? Did it make achieving targets easier in any way?

We spoke to our clients about it much before we announced the merger. We wanted to make sure that what we were creating was going to be right for each of our clients. Clients understood the benefits that will come from the momentum. They also realized that being in this ecosystem could help in a great way with giving them larger access to best practices. Across MEC and Maxus, we share a lot of global clients who will benefit from this. Overall, I believe that the merger resonated well with the clients.

There were speculations that the merger was an outcome of WPP being under pressure to streamline as FMCG clients chose to cut back on marketing significantly in 2016-17. Have these speculations affected your relationship with your clients in anyway?

These kinds of news keep happening. As a successful organization globally, we are constantly under the scanner. Relationships are built over years of hard work with clients which we continue to maintain. Clients do what they feel is right for business. Also, we never take the relationships with clients for granted and are only continuing on improving our deliveries to them. 

What are some of the biggest challenges towards fostering a healthy client-agency relationship in today’s times?

First and foremost, it’s important to do what is right for the client. Next is ensuring brutal honesty and transparency. It’s a two-way window. Sharing with them, without any inhibitions, what is right and what can be improved, is essential. While there will be a positive tension in these relationships, you need to be bold and foster a long and healthy relationship with them.

How has 2017 been for the agency and what are your expectations from 2018? Will it be a good year and if yes, what are some of the key trends contributing to it?

2017 has been an action-packed year in terms of retention pitches and new businesses that were added. So, there have been wins as Wavemaker and our divisions and specialist units have done very well. During this year, we have stayed away from publicity-driven awards, be it local or even global. We will be part of only quality ones, which is our conscious decision now and will be a big change as we move ahead. Going further, there will be dramatic shifts in terms of business and hiring more talent. You will see more contribution from senior leaderships coming in.

How are you seeing the role of consultancies such as Accenture or McKenzie in a market like India? Are they potential competition to your role as advisors and partners to clients in India, as seen in other markets?

I think that we play very distinct and different roles. They play far more strategic roles at a corporate level. What an agency like us are able to bring in is not just the thinking but also executions. So, from a marketing services and marketing communications stand-point, I think our understanding of consumer is far higher than many consultancies. There are multiple competitions in the world at this point and we aren’t very worried about it. Our client’s success is dependent on how well they understand the consumers and that’s where we play a bigger role.

(Transcribed by Misbaah Mansuri)

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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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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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