Noorings: And the business goes to the incumbent…
It is confusing for me too – why should a client that chooses to stay back with the incumbent be a problem for many agencies, except for the obvious bit? But there is an interesting industry conversation emerging on clients that call high-end pitches, take several weeks to take a decision, and then announce ‘we retain the incumbent’. Now, did you not know the strength of the incumbent before engaging everyone else’s time and money, ask the other agencies...

The year 2010 has seen some of the most high profile media pitches/ reviews of recent times – General Motors, Bharti Airtel, L’Oreal, and not to forget, Unilever. While there also have been pitches that include the likes of Multi Screen Media, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd or even a Colgate, where the business did land with a new partner, for some high-profile clients like Unilever, GM and Airtel, the incumbent has prevailed (of course Unilever did tell Mindshare that there are other options when it handed the digital part of the business to OMD). But that aside, one would wonder whether clients have begun to take the pitch process for granted.
I was speaking to a senior media agency professional over the weekend enquiring if that particular agency would be participating in a recently announced ‘high-profile’ media pitch. The agency professional said, ‘not sure, in any case I don’t know if we should invest our time and money in such pitches, where it doesn’t look like the business is going to change hands’.
Now, that is not an unusual thing to hear these days, which indicates the gravity of the situation. Many media agencies are speaking about situations where clients have called for elaborate pitch process, and where given the size of some of the businesses, the top managements of agencies have been involved day in and day out in the pitches. Then after everything, the client announces the decision in favour of the incumbent. Most agencies have not had a problem with that (God knows, they would like to retain the business if one of their clients had called for a pitch!) until they realise that by the end the discussion seems to be all about rates.
Another senior agency head was telling me ‘one would assume that a client as sophisticated as GM, Airtel or even Unilever would have done some due diligence on their existing agencies and then called for a pitch, but some of these processes just look like they are happy to work with the incumbent so long as the incumbent brings the rate down some more’.
The side of the profession that I am in, it is near impossible to take these conversations forward, lest there is something to substantiate it. And between NDAs (non disclosure agreements) and the potential of working with that client at some point, there is nothing ‘on-record’ about these “practices”.
At one level, one is encouraged that the new generation – leaders like R Gowthaman (Mindshare) and Ajit Varghese (Maxus), among others, are vocal about this obsession with rates, and the fact that clients are not bothering to see what value addition an agency is doing. And that decision makers of the industry like Sam Balsara (Madison World) and Shashi Sinha (Lodestar UM) are aggressively looking at discouraging any suggestion that would hurt the industry. But at another level, one still wonders what it would take for media agencies to work together.
In his recent visit at the exchange4media Conclave, Irwin Gotlieb (GroupM) had said in a conversation with us that these things were damaging to the growth of the media service brands business. Clients who called for pitches or reviews were equivalent to employers asking employees to prove that they are worth working for that company, and when you do that, you hurt a relation. Pitch process cannot just be an annual affair that had to be done – they should be done when there is a reason to look out, and then you should have an even stronger reason to stay back with the same, or move on to a new, relation.
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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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