Noorings: Exits, returns & arrivals... Changing guards at media agencies
Media agencies are seeing interesting talent movement - old hands & new intellect are making way to the business, as media agency heads take up newer challenges

Despite its changing phases, the singular truth about the Indian media and advertising industry is that it is first a people’s business. This year, the industry has seen some interesting changes in its senior most talent, the effect of which would be seen in the times to come.
When Punitha Arumugam announced her decision to leave the media agency business after spending over two decades here and head to a technology led media company, Google, quite a few believed that it was a great move. The mention of Google tends to attract that reaction. At the same time, many thought that it was a significant loss to the media agency business.
The industry had already seen change of guard in the largest media agency, Mindshare, earlier in the year with R Gowthaman (G’Man) moving to Singapore to don on the APAC hat and Mindshare’s Unilever account head Ravi Rao leading the agency in India. It is too early to talk of any changes that Rao is bringing in the Mindshare order but one would soon see his imprint clearly much as one could see G’Man’s when he had taken charge of Mindshare India.
And now there is news of Anita Nayyar, another very senior hand deciding to leave the media agency business and move to another super media brand – The Times of India group.
Not that this is the first time that such moves are happening. The Indian media agency business has seen many veterans exit the business and it has also been interesting to see the likes of CVL Srinivas (returned to join the top role at Starcom MediaVest Group) and Divya Gupta (took charge of media at Dentsu) comeback to the field, where they have been regarded heroes.
It was homecoming for Suresh Balakrishna as well when he joined back the Lintas Media Group family just as N P Sathyamurthy was leaving the agency to head DDB Mudra Max. Madison saw the return of Karthik Laxminarayan not so long ago.
After a long time, the churn at the top level has been this strong for the media agency business that was beginning to become ‘stable’ in its top talent.
The return of the experts is good news for the business but what adds to it is the advent of fresh talent in the senior mix.
Arumugam’s exit meant a great challenge for Madison – was the agency going to look for someone from the media agency mafia itself? And if yes, then who? But Sam Balsara had an answer of his own. Balsara was not going to contribute to the merry-go-round. In Gautam Kiyawat, he found a new leader not just out of the industry but also out of the country. Ever since Kiyawat’s announcement was made, the industry has been speaking on ‘good move’ or ‘wait and watch’ move. Kiyawat’s experience has seen him work largely on the marketer side but what makes him an interesting choice is his experience in new media, a route that Madison took up very seriously in its re-architecture last year.
R K Swamy Media Direction Group brought some more ‘fresh’ talent to media agencies with the appointment of Sandeep Sharma, who had largely worked from the sales side of the media owner table in his vast experience.
These changes signify changing times for media agencies. The question remains whether the new leaders are able to leave their signature on the business and contribute to make the business future ready as some of their predecessors have. But with such change of guard at senior posts, 2012 promise to see some of the most interesting times for the media agency business in India.
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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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