Sethuraman chalks out India agenda as TBWA\India gears for complete buyout

It has been a month since Shiv Sethuraman took charge at TBWA\India as CEO. His appointment was seen as a key move from the group to strengthen its India operations. Now, with the complete buyout of TBWA\India just weeks away, Sethuraman has already chalked out the immediate attention areas for the agency. The list includes the creative focus, transition of disruptive thinking to disruptive work, growth across offices and the move to create a fully integrated agency for TBWA and Tequila capabilities.

e4m by Noor Fathima Warsia
Published: Aug 5, 2008 8:39 AM  | 4 min read
Sethuraman chalks out India agenda as TBWA\India gears for complete buyout

The big day for TBWA in India is near. Talks regarding buyout of the Indian partners from the agency have been on for some time now, and from the looks of it, it is just a matter of weeks before TBWA makes the official announcement, once the regulatory approvals are in place. This would be another significant step from the Omnicom Group towards further strengthening its presence in India. There is much that TBWA\India has on its plate, and the recently joined CEO of the company is wasting no time in getting to the task.

Shiv Sethuraman had assumed charge of the TBWA\India operations on June 23, 2008 as CEO. Sethuraman is seen as a key appointment from the group to strengthen its India operations. In the last month, he has met almost everyone in the agency, and TBWA clients. He also took time out to participate in two new business pitches and fly to Bangkok for the financial business review of the agency, a task that comes from his role of being on the TBWA APAC board.

For Sethuraman, his place in the APAC board is a way to ensure that talent from India is seeing more of the international TBWA operations. “They should get the feeling that they are connected to a much larger network,” explained Sethuraman. He has already chalked out the immediate focus areas for TBWA\India. Needless to say, Disruption is on top of the list. Sethuraman elaborated, “For us, Disruption is not just a strategic tool that we put in presentations, it is a part of the TBWA culture. The India operations understand disruption and it is already there in the thinking. The task now is to convert that thinking into disruptive work, and that cannot happen without significant focus on the creative product.”

TBWA\India has begun the hunt for appointing more hands in its creative function, including a senior appointment to partner Sethuraman. “We are looking for someone who is capable of thinking cross-media very fluently because we don’t believe in just 30-second advertising, and someone who can take on the challenges that a young, hungry agency has to offer. The good thing is that I am having the right conversations on this already,” he informed.

Sethuraman agreed that at present TBWA was strong largely in the Mumbai and Delhi markets. The Bangalore operations are buzzing right now with the Titan Gold Plus win, while the Chennai office is geared to announce a new client soon too from the IT sector. Sethuraman sees these as healthy symptoms of the South business adding more to the company’s revenues too.

One big factor on his India agenda is working towards creating an integrated offering that combines the TBWA and Tequila capabilities under the same P&L. Tequila, the integrated marketing arm from the company, was introduced in India almost two years back. Tequila has been strong in the South markets, and the agenda now is to make the brand stronger in Mumbai and Delhi as well.

On the thought of making TBWA and Tequila work as one operation, Sethuraman explained, “At present, the above the line and below the line teams in most agencies have their own clients and very few common clients. Unless you have that, there is very little integration possible. If I am able to make sure that the people who go out and implement a thought are thinking the same way as the people who created them, then we have cracked a model where we are able to offer both ends – the know-how and the do-how – to the clients. No one has managed a model like that right now.”

TBWA\India has already begun collaborating on media side of the business with OMD, the media asset of Omnicom. Sethuraman terms it as a ‘special relation’. He said, “We would do whatever we can do to build a stronger relation between the two entities, in order to compete better in the market.” The media unit of TBWA India is functional at present, but Sethuraman said that there was still time before there was a concrete decision on whether this was a long term or model or not.

Earlier report:

Shiv Sethuraman to join TBWA\India as CEO

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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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