MediaCom's turning point from a 'Sleeping' to 'Waking' Tiger

Mark Heap, CEO, MediaCom APAC talks about bringing in a collaborative & rigourous spirit into the region, underscoring the need for MediaCom India to 'up' its profile and positioning

e4m by Priyanka Mehra
Published: Sep 2, 2014 9:51 AM  | 5 min read
MediaCom's turning point from a 'Sleeping' to 'Waking' Tiger

Mark Heap, CEO, MediaCom APAC, completes a year in his current role today. Heap, who took over from CEO PHD China, is no stranger to GroupM, having begun his career at Mindshare in 1996. He has spent 12 years working in various capacities in London, Sydney and China, before joining PHD in 2008, and has famously likened Mediacom to a ‘Sleeping Tiger’ that is finally waking up. In a conversation with exchange4media, he spoke about bringing in a collaborative spirit into the region, underscoring the need for MediaCom India to ‘up’ its profile and positioning, while elaborating on the mandate to Debraj Tripathy. Excerpts

In one of your earlier interviews this year you referred to MediaCom as a ‘Sleeping Tiger.’ Has the Tiger been finally awakened?

It is waking for sure. The reference to ‘Sleeping Tiger’ was I think within MediaCom. We’ve got fabulous resources at our disposal that aren’t necessarily being utilised to the biggest benefit. Back in February, we got everyone together across the region, country heads, regional and discipline heads and spent two days talking to everyone about the skill sets, areas of focus and expertise we’ve got within the group how we can collaborate more together. That’s been quite a big focus for us. This month, we’ve just launched a new way of operating at a leadership level, with some different leadership circles, commercial and client circles and all of those feeding into overall MediaCom Asia Pacific. Those are the things designed to improve the way we operate as a company, the leverage, the skills, talent and input from more people.

Why were these things not in place earlier?

Typically as an industry, not just as MediaCom, we respond to individual clients, tailor our business and our approach around their needs. So the existing skills weren’t just sitting idle, but they were being put to use for individual clients. So it was really about making the rest of the company aware of the tools, techniques, people that can also be a benefit in other areas, countries, markets, clients. So that is really going to happen now.

What are the improvement areas for Mediacom India?

One of the areas we can improve here is merchandising ourselves. I don’t think we’ve got a strong enough positioning in the market, probably because GroupM, Madison and Mindshare are very strong here. I think MediaCom can strengthen more of 'who we are' in the market, to build up on the business profile. Both internally in India and within the MediaCom network, I’d like to see the talent and the work being done here being spread a bit more.

What is India’s contribution to APAC?

It is considerable. India is our third largest market in the region behind Australia and China.

What I’d like is India playing a more active role in the region and help influence how we develop our products in the future, what we focus on and how we build our business, because there’s an awful lot of talent here.

Who do you consider your biggest competitor in the region?

Honestly, ourselves. If we can get our act together, we have got an amazing amount of skill, talent and resources. Where I want MediaCom is; leveraging the scale we’ve got within the group, across MediaCom, WPP including Kantar. Omnicom and Publicis don’t have access to that. That is a genuine advantage.

How do you think Mediacom is positioned vis a vis GroupM’s other agencies?

I don’t think any agency is different from any other agency. Mindshare has Unilever, we’ve got P&G. We appeal to quite a similar category of clients to some degree. But the way that we do that and what we deliver is different. Maxus has a more localised strategy, Mindshare is a big machine, very reliable, MediaCom is very fast-growing and entrepreneurial within the group, with a lot of energy and developing at a very fast pace.

What are the changes you have brought about since you took over last year?

I’m trying to bring a little more clarity for our staff, particularly for our country heads and our people who are leading disciplines,  on what the areas of focus are, some more rigour in how we operate, to be more systematic about things, to be more collaborative, to leverage our resources. Now we have a more consistent method of writing business plans across all markets, evaluating what we should be doing on a country level, prioritising instead of having a big shopping list of KPIs.

What we want to be known for in the market in the future is more around an agency that provides what we call ‘systems thinking,’ because most agencies still operate in silos.

What is the mandate to Debraj (Tripathy, Managing Director, MediaCom India) for India ?

There is an opportunity to build on the merchandising, more clarity on what our product is, and diversifying our client base, to explore some new areas. We’ve got a very strong product globally and regionally in performance marketing, demand generation, e-commerce. Those are the areas which are quite nascent in India. We are focusing on building our capabilities so that we can get some wins in those areas.
 

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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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