Ravi Deshpande launches integrated comm agency Whyness Worldwide

"I wanted to create a truly integrated company that brings strategy, creativity, design & tech together," says Deshpande, talking about the rationale behind starting this new venture

e4m by Priyanka Mehra
Published: Nov 6, 2013 7:33 AM  | 4 min read
Ravi Deshpande launches integrated comm agency Whyness Worldwide

There has been immense speculation on Ravi Deshpande’s next move since the news of him stepping down as Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Contract Advertising in April, following which Deshpande ended his long tenure with the agency in June this year.

Putting an end to all the rumours of him joining a larger agency in India or taking on a Asia Pacific role, Deshpande has launched an integrated communications agency called ‘Whyness Worldwide’.

The agency will be officially launched today. 

Whyness has strategic partnerships in place with Findability Sciences and Seenk, Paris. In addition, the agency will also use talented graduates from Ecole Intuit Lab to add fresh perspective to design.

“With Findability Sciences, we will use their expertise of turning Big Data into a smart data; our alliance with Seenk, Paris will add more value to our thinking in design,” observed Deshpande.

With these associations, the agency aims to address brand challenges with solutions that combine human insights, creativity, design and technology, and bridge the gap between traditional and digital agencies.

Deshpande has had an interesting and illustrious career spanning 22 years. He began in journey in advertising in 1985 in the art department at Clarion (now Bates Chi and Partners) Mumbai, and then moved on to Ogilvy and Mather.

He has been the key architect in building Contract and its brands, which includes Shopper’s Stop, Cadbury, NIIT, to name a few.

In a freewheeling chat, Deshpande talks exclusively to exchange4media on his new venture.

Excerpts:

What made you leave Contract when you were at the peak of your career?
After a long career you could become a known and respected face in the business and behave like a guru. But then the danger is that you could get complacent and slowly slip into a maintenance job – maintenance of revenue, maintenance of creativity, maintenance of people, maintenance of relationships, maintenance of agency ranking and so on, and in the process you stop to innovate.

Or, you could say wait, I am going to be foolish all over again. And I am going to walk a new path. I just chose the latter.

It was a combination of a desire to reinvent myself, modify and lift the game, to stay relevant and evolve towards some fresh thinking.

I wanted to create a truly integrated company that brings strategy, creativity, design and technology together. This way, I knew I would contribute more to the business. And hence, I decided to start Whyness.

Why the name ‘Whyness’?
Well, defining a problem sharply is halfway to finding the right answer. Great work usually happens when we take a problem by its horns, and ask the question “why”. From the reply, emerge more questions. Which when answered, give rise to more questions.

Until finally, we have narrowed down the problem, cornered it, pinned it to the wall and left no room for it to escape. No room for more questions.

On such a clean slate, the problem lies clear, waiting to be solved.

This, we believe is the perfect condition to deliver great work; hence, the name ‘Whyness’.

Is it the right time for an agency like Whyness?
In India, there is always a feeling that we are in the process of getting there. We are developing, but not quite there yet. So we usually postpone doing things that are innovative and sophisticated. Because we always feel that its time has not yet come.

I asked myself if the idea behind Whyness is a bit ahead of its time here in India. But I felt that if we didn’t do it now, it might be too late.

I also thought it was the right time because every marketer around the world feels the need to integrate disciplines when it comes to communication. But there aren’t many agencies that successfully manage this integration. Of course, there are ‘digital’ agencies, and there are what you call ‘traditional’ agencies. But, you rarely hear of agencies that bridge the gap, and do so successfully.

Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)

For more updates, be socially connected with us on
Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp

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
Test

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.

Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)

For more updates, be socially connected with us on
Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp

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
test

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.

Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)

For more updates, be socially connected with us on
Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp

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
Test

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.

Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)

For more updates, be socially connected with us on
Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp

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
test

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."

Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)

For more updates, be socially connected with us on
Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp

test

test

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:39 PM  | 1 min read

test

test

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
khugfu

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."

Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)

For more updates, be socially connected with us on
Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp