With response data of 3,75,000 people we understand purchase journey better: Alastair Aird, Global Chairman, Wavemaker
With a team of 700+ professionals, lead by Kartik Sharma, Managing Director -South Asia, the agency is all set to create waves across the Indian market from Nov 9
Wavemaker, GroupM’s new billion-dollar revenue, media, content and technology agency created from the merger of MEC and Maxus, opened for business in India on November 9. With a team of 700+ professionals, lead by the recently announced Managing Director - Kartik Sharma, the agency is all set to create waves across the Indian market. The agency already has some noted clients including FMCG giant ITC and L’Oréal. As the agency sets off on its journey, exchange4media speaks to Alastair Aird, Global Chairman, Wavemaker. Excerpts:-
As per the description on your site, your business is to support, consult and execute the decision-making for CEOs and CMOs. You help bring together data, creativity and platforms to help the best brands in the world make the future they want by making better choices today. Aren’t all agencies offering this? How is Wavemaker different?
Our USP is our obsession and the commitment to understand the purchase journey. This is that one thing that is going to make us different from others. We have a head start with a data base of 375000 people’s responses across 35 different countries with us. It is 3.5 times more than what any other research agency in the world may have. Our passion is to understand the purchase journey better than any other agency or business or consultancy.
How did the MEC and Maxus merger, resulting in Wavemaker, helped you serve your clients better?
The Wavemaker has been created to help clients through this period of digital disruption and to answer many of their questions that they may have. It is our opportunity to help brands build their future. The future is only the manifestation of the decisions we take today. To build brands you need to spend money behind them. You need to use all the tools of marketing to make a brand. We at Wavemaker are aiming at giving customised solutions using our data and obsession for purchase journey as the key means.
There were speculations that the mergers were an outcome of WPP being under pressure to streamline as clients chose to cut back on marketing spends significantly in 2016-17. Have these speculations affected your relationship with your clients in any way?
Actually not at all. We had spoken to our clients here as well globally before the merger. In fact that was one of the reasons why we delayed the announcement of Wavemaker in India. We have to make sure that what we are creating is right. We have created Wavemaker from what we have heard from the clients. I am not going to pretend, every agency is looking for more efficiency but for us the primary reason was not financial. The primary reason for the creation of Wavemaker was that we have two businesses that were very similar in culture, very similar in their client services. Both MEC and Maxus were very heavily into local clients. Upto 80 per cent of their clients were local clients. Also we shared a number of clients like Loreal and Vodafone. So by bringing them under one single agency we have also simplified the job for our clients.
How are you seeing the role of consultancies such as Accenture or McKinsey shape up in a market like India? Are they potential competition to your role as advisors and partners to clients in India too, as seen in other markets?
To be honest I don’t see that. They have always been advisors to the companies. As per a WPP research, of all our pitches globally only a tiny, very tiny pitches, had consultants behind the decision. And you look at the implementation part that is very different. Media is very different in every market, based around the people, and you need people to understand that. The consultancies are just not set up to be able to deliver that. They are doing a very small part of what we as media agencies are doing.
What are some of the biggest challenges towards fostering a healthy client-agency relationship in today’s times? How have clients' demands and aspirations changed over the years?
Living and breathing clients' problems every day and understanding their problems and challenges are key to strategic planning. Clients these days have changed. There is too much pressure on driving the investment down and driving the cost down. So I think there has been a lot of pressure on pricing and cost saving. Also, the world is so complex, it is becoming increasingly more complex to know how to reach your client the right way. And to add to all of that, there is digital disruption. So I think they are looking at us more and more to provide them simplicity in this very complex world. The single thing that we can do as an organisation is to make the complex simple for our clients.
How has 2017 been for the agency, and what are your expectations from 2018? Will it be a good year and if yes, what are some of the key trends contributing to it?
Whenever you go through a merger you have to go through the journey of bringing together of people, cultures and systems. So a lot of this year has been a year of building. The next year will see more of execution. We are excited about 2018 as it would be a new journey and a new story.
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 onInstagram, 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
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 onInstagram, 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'
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 onInstagram, 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 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 onInstagram, 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
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 onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
test
test
test
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 onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
test
test
test
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 onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
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."
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 onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp