ITV

Category: AD Agencies

  • Omnicom brings global influencer capabilities under Creo banner

    Omnicom brings global influencer capabilities under Creo banner

    MUMBAI: Omnicom Media Group (OMG) has consolidated its global influencer marketing capabilities under a single brand—Creo—to deliver a consistent, data-led approach to clients across markets. This move puts influencer marketing firmly at the heart of OMG’s media offering, treating it as a fully measurable and strategic media channel.

    Since launching three years ago, Creo has developed influencer-led campaigns for major brands like Mountain Dew, Delta and State Farm. Now, as part of a global integration, clients everywhere will gain access to Creo’s partnerships with leading platforms including Amazon, Google, Snap, TikTok and Instacart—bridging the gap between content creation and commerce.

    The global influencer marketing market is set to reach $33 billion by 2025, up from $24 billion in 2024. In response, OMG is rolling out new tools through its Omni platform to enhance campaign planning and performance:

    * Creator Briefing Tool: Powered by Google Gemini, this helps creators shape content based on audience insights, cultural signals and brand data.

    * Creo Influencer Agent: An AI tool that identifies creators aligned with campaign objectives using Omni’s cultural intelligence suite.

    * Creator Performance Predictor: Built on Meta’s latest API, this machine learning tool forecasts which organic content will deliver stronger results when amplified with paid media—boosting outcomes by 38 per cent in early tests.

    “With influencers playing an increasingly important role in how audiences discover and engage with brands, bringing together our capabilities under Creo ensures clients in every market can access the same level of innovation, insight and strategic impact,” said Omnicom Media group CEO Florian Adamski. 

    In select regions, the brand will operate as OMGCreo. Backed by Omni, Creo positions influencer marketing as an accountable, data-driven channel designed to deliver results across the full marketing funnel.

  • Publicis powers ahead with a pitch-perfect Q1

    Publicis powers ahead with a pitch-perfect Q1

    MUMBAI: Publicis Groupe has come out swinging in 2025, delivering a knockout first quarter with organic growth clockin

    g in at a robust 4.9 per cent and net revenue up 9.4 per cent. Not too shabby in a jittery global economy.
    Despite storm clouds on the macro front, the Paris-based ad titan bagged a record haul of new business—about a dozen juicy wins—keeping the growth engine humming and the champagne flowing. 

    Publicis now confidently reaffirms full-year guidance of four to five  per cent organic growth and a tidy €1.9–€2.0bn in free cash flow (before working capital shifts).

    Since January, the group has splashed out €500m on M&A, snapping up assets in data, digital media and influencer marketing. That war chest spending cements its self-styled “Category of One” status, a blend of consultancy cool and creative chops.

    “We’ve never been in a stronger position to help our clients, in the good times, and even more importantly, in the challenging ones.,” said chairman and CEO Arthur Sadoun, who’s clearly in campaign mode. “Thanks to our unrivalled identity graph and 25,000 engineers, we’re future-proofing clients in the AI era while helping them spend smarter and grow faster.”

    Publicis continues to punch above its weight, proudly touting an industry-high margin of 18 per cent last year, with more juice to come in 2025. Diversified revenues and a connected media ecosystem are helping it dodge economic wobbles while keeping competitors in the rear-view mirror.

    As consolidation looms in adland, Publicis is eyeing not just another year of outperformance—but long-term dominance. Watch this space.

     

  • Advertising veteran and HR leader pivot to new roles At McCann

    Advertising veteran and HR leader pivot to new roles At McCann

    MUMBAI: Kamal Basu, former CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi India, is embarking on a fresh chapter after a series of high-profile marketing positions in the automotive sector. Meanwhile, Jyoti Mahendru is “coming home” to McCann Worldgroup India as chief talent officer and national communications officer after a stint at VML.

    Basu, who cut his teeth at marquee advertising agencies including Young & Rubicam and Ogilvy before becoming one of the youngest CEOs at Saatchi & Saatchi India in 2008, later headed marketing for Volkswagen Group in India and Nissan India. His tenure at Saatchi & Saatchi saw the agency break into India’s top 10, overseeing launches for brands like Olay, Pampers and the creation of what he calls “the iconic brand OLX India”.

    Since 2021, Basu has been working as a business consultant focusing on brand development projects and serving as a board member for “a leading finance company”. His career trajectory represents the classic adman’s evolution—from agency creative to corporate marketer to independent consultant.

    Mahendru, who describes herself as a “DE&I champion” and “certified mental health ally”, returns to familiar territory at McCann after serving as chief people officer at VML. She previously spent four years at McCann as executive vice president of human resources before her departure in July 2022.

    Her CV boasts an impressive mix of HR leadership roles across diverse sectors—from Bharti Wal-Mart and Star TV Network to the refreshingly frank “sabbatical” period from 2012 to 2017, which she describes simply as “focusing on self & family”.

    The appointments underscore the ongoing talent shuffle in India’s advertising landscape, where agency veterans continue to find new homes even as the industry grapples with transformation.

  • Havas kicks off Q1 2025 with a 2.1 per cent growth spurt

    Havas kicks off Q1 2025 with a 2.1 per cent growth spurt

    MUMBAI: Havas has announced a solid start to 2025, with organic net revenue growth of 2.1 per cent in the first quarter, aligning with its full-year projections. Reported growth surged to 5.2 per cent, driven by recent acquisitions and favourable currency effects.

    Havas CEO & chairman Yannick Bolloré, highlighted the agency’s performance, particularly in North and Latin America. He added: “We continue to focus on the group’s development, through the global roll-out of our “Converged” strategy and operating system – which is powered by the best data, tech and AI – the expansion of our capacity in high-growth sectors, and an unwavering commitment to creative excellence. We are therefore confirming our objectives for 2025, while keeping a close eye on the global geopolitical and economic situation, in order to respond quickly and effectively, supporting our clients and teams in this context. I’d like to thank our clients for their trust, and highlight the dedication of our talented teams worldwide, who are key to our success.”

    In Q1, Havas acquired CA Sports in Spain, Channel Bakers in the US, and Don in Argentina, strengthening its presence in sports, e-commerce, and creative sectors.

    Europe experienced a slight 0.2 per cent dip, while North America saw a 3.2 per cent increase, led by Havas Health. Latin America delivered a robust 16.6 per cent growth. APAC & Africa continued to post satisfactory organic growth, with net revenue up 1.9 per cent year on year, driven by Havas Media. 

    Despite economic uncertainties, Havas maintains its 2025 guidance: organic net revenue growth above two per cent, an adjusted EBIT margin between 12.5 and 13.5 per cent, and a dividend payout ratio of approximately 40 per cent. The agency also confirmed its 2028 medium-term financial targets.

    Havas agencies continue to receive industry recognition, with Uncommon New York named “Agency of the Year” by Campaign, and Havas Play topping the French agency list in the WARC Media 100 Ranking.

     

  • Dentsu South Asia fuses creative and media in leadership makeover

    Dentsu South Asia fuses creative and media in leadership makeover

    MUMBAI: dentsu south Asia is betting big on integration with a leadership shake-up that sees Amit Wadhwa ascending to chief executive of creative and media brands, south Asia while Anita Kotwani takes the reins as chief client officer, south Asia.

    The ad network’s bold restructuring aims to blend traditionally separated creative and media functions into a seamless operation, with both executives reporting to Harsha Razdan, dentsu’s south Asia boss, and Prerna Mehrotra, who oversees media operations across the Asia-Pacific region as CCO and CEO – Media, APAC.

    “Marketing today is more complex than ever, but complexity shouldn’t slow businesses down,” declares Razdan, touting the firm’s One dentsu  model as the solution to untangle clients’ thorny business challenges.

    In his expanded role, Wadhwa will lead dentsu’s creative and media practices, architecting seamless collaboration across three creative brands – Dentsu Creative Webchutney, Dentsu Creative Isobar, and Dentsu Creative PR, and five Media brands – Carat, dentsu X, iProspect, Posterscope, and Sokrati. His priority will be to break silos and establish a unified way of working across these disciplines, ensuring that media and creative function as a cohesive force.

    Says Wadhwa:  “This level of integration hasn’t been done in a long time, giving us the opportunity to shape a new way forward. Success isn’t about a single idea or individual – it happens when the right people collaborate, take ownership, and act with intent. That mindset is what’s driving the next phase of growth at dentsu South Asia. For years, Media and Creative have been distinct powerhouses, each delivering impact in their own way. But the future demands integration, not silos. We are bringing them together – not just for efficiency, but to create a more connected, agile, and strategic approach to solving challenges. 2024 laid the foundation for dentsu; 2025 is about momentum – bigger ideas, faster execution, and smarter impact. With some of the brightest minds in the industry, I’m excited for what’s next.”

    Kotwani will steer client-centric strategies that strengthen partnerships and align solutions with evolving business needs. As chief client officer for dentsu south Asia, she will champion transformative growth by embedding client-centricity into every strategic decision. She will oversee integrated client teams, expanding her remit to creative, media, and CXM, while also ensuring the expansion of the network’s presence in high-growth areas such as business transformation (BX), retail, and commerce. She will deliver bespoke, high-demand client centric solutions by combining expertise from across the network with cutting-edge technology, advanced commerce strategies, and strategic partnerships.

    Says Kotwani: “Clients power everything we do. This role is about creating high-impact partnerships by understanding their challenges and delivering solutions that generate measurable business growth. My focus is on accelerating their success through integrated capabilities, tailored strategies, and seamless execution. We are leveraging dentsu’s full ecosystem to create market-leading solutions that enable brands to scale, adapt, and lead with confidence. With extensive experience in building enduring client relationships and shaping large-scale media and marketing initiatives, I am committed to delivering long-term value. We are bringing together expertise, innovation, and deep market insights to help businesses unlock new opportunities, strengthen brand positioning, and create exponential impact. This is about setting new benchmarks for growth and ensuring our clients stay ahead in an ever-evolving market.”

  • Urvashi Sharma joins Havas Play, bringing digital flair to experiential marketing

    Urvashi Sharma joins Havas Play, bringing digital flair to experiential marketing

    MUMBAI:  Urvashi Sharma has announced her move to Havas Play, taking on the role of associate vice president. This appointment marks a significant step in Sharma’s career, transitioning her extensive digital advertising sales experience into the realm of experiential marketing. 

    Sharma’s career boasts a strong track record in digital advertising sales, with significant tenures at MX Player and Zee5. At MX Player, she held various roles, including LCS lead: north and regional manager, demonstrating her expertise in strategy, account management, and business development. Her time at Zee5 as a business partner: north LCS further solidified her skills in digital brand solutions and strategic partnerships.

    Prior to her digital media roles, Sharma gained experience in brand solutions and events management at Bennett Coleman and Co Ltd. (Times group), askme.com, The Walt Disney Co, BloombergUTV, and Fever FM (HT Media Ltd.). These positions honed her abilities in client relations, negotiation, and large-scale event management. Her foundational experience includes a stint as a relationship specialist at Genpact

  • Paritosh Srivastava takes creative reins at BBH India with a bold new brief

    Paritosh Srivastava takes creative reins at BBH India with a bold new brief

    MUMBAI: Adland just got a shake-up, and BBH India is strutting into its next act.

    The suits at Publicis Groupe India just played a power move in all caps. Paritosh Srivastava, already juggling CEO hats at Saatchi & Saatchi India, Saatchi Propagate, and Publicis Beehive, has now been handed the keys to BBH India. If creative chaos had a command centre, this is it.

    Stepping in alongside Srivastava is the razor-sharp Snehasis Bose, who now moonlights as group chief strategy officer at BBH India, in addition to his existing remit at Saatchi & Saatchi and Saatchi Propagate. Let’s just say the BBH war room is now fully weaponised with brains, bandwidth and a boatload of brand chops.

    “Humbled and excited with the additional mandate of leading BBH India,” said Srivastava. “Snehasis Bose… has been instrumental in creating successes across all our brands and I have no doubt he’ll bring his magic to BBH India as well.”

    BBH India’s legacy already sparkles, thanks to the leadership of Himanshu Saxena (COO & MD) and Parikshit Bhattaccharya (CCO). The duo has been steering the agency into high-impact creative terrain. Now, with Srivastava and Bose added to the deck, BBH India is shaping up to be a future-ready, client-crushing machine.

    Publicis Groupe India wasn’t shy about its power play either. “We have created a stellar leadership bench that will accelerate BBH India’s momentum and provide future-forward solutions to drive greater results for our clients,” said the company.

    If awards were handed out for leadership density, this team would be swimming in gold Lions.

    The baton pass comes at a time when marketing is shapeshifting faster than Trump’s disruptive decisions. Brands need big thinking, brave ideas, and an agency that can do it all with swagger. Srivastava is set to lead BBH into that storm, armed with a team that’s more Avengers than admen.

    So what’s next? Smarter strategy, bolder work, and a playbook that doesn’t just chase culture — it creates it.

  • McCann Worldgroup appoints marketing veteran

    McCann Worldgroup appoints marketing veteran

    MUMBAI: Snehsikt Anand has been appointed business head at McCann Worldgroup, marking a return to agency life after a year of freelance consultancy. The seasoned marketing professional brings over 18 years of through-the-line marketing experience to one of advertising’s most established networks.

    Anand joins McCann after working as an independent marketing consultant, where he provided brand and communication advice to emerging agencies and production houses. Before his freelance period, he served as business head for west and HUL (rural) at Dentsu, where he managed Hindustan Unilever’s house-to-house business across India.

    At Dentsu, Anand’s client relationship skills helped create opportunities for business growth through territory expansion and cross-selling initiatives. Prior to joining Dentsu, Anand co-founded BrandBall, where as head of strategy he increased annual turnover fourfold and expanded the client roster tenfold over four years. 
    His experience includes positions at several prominent agencies including L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, Ogilvy, Triton Communications, and Civilisation Communications. He also gained client-side experience as assistant manager-marketing at ICICI Prudential AMC Ltd.

    At McCann, Anand will likely apply his RoI-driven approach to marketing communications, leveraging his expertise in advertising, integrated marketing and team management as he takes on this new leadership role.

  • Women of industry band together to form Oon

    Women of industry band together to form Oon

    MUMBAI: A fresh collective of leading women professionals has launched Oon, an integrated marketing communications firm that aims to simultaneously serve clients with top-tier expertise and create a collaborative platform for independent women professionals.

    The brainchild of industry veteran Rekha Rao, who boasts nearly three decades of experience spanning advertising, film production, public relations, and corporate communications, Oon (a dialectal version of “one” in British English) is putting a distinctly feminine spin on the marketing world.

    “Over the years I have seen women navigating multiple challenges to thrive and succeed in the punishing marketing, media, and communications industry,” says Oon founder & chief executive Rao. “This wealth of potential and experience with women who are already successful and those who have immense talent but need the opportunity inspired me to create something unique.”

    The powerhouse network includes a veritable who’s who of female talent—marketers, entrepreneurs, strategists, journalists, content specialists, art directors, filmmakers, and advocates from LGBTQAI+, PwD and sustainability communities. The collective also features digital marketers, influencers, and practising professionals including doctors, lawyers, chartered accountants and academicians—each bringing at least 15 years of experience to the table.

    From design and advertising to PR, content to reputation management, digital marketing to policy advocacy, Oon curates bespoke teams tailored to diverse client needs from their pool of experts. The firm offers solutions across the communications spectrum, with experience spanning global brands, corporate leaders, start-ups, and entrepreneurs.

    Rao, known for her out-of-the-box thinking and penchant for large-scale campaigns that have garnered over 100 awards, envisions Oon as “not just an agency—it’s a movement” representing the “49.75 per cent of the world that is women.”

    The Oon collective includes an impressive roster of specialists, including creative strategist Amee Sanghvi, strategic growth partner Anshul Mishra, award-winning journalist Anusha Subramaniam, and transgender activist Gauri Sawant serving as LGBTQIA+ counsel.
     

    oon collective

    For clients seeking fresh perspective in marketing communications, OON promises a distinctive approach—delivering campaigns that don’t just target audiences but genuinely speak to them, all while advancing opportunities for women in the industry.

    The Oon Collective:
    o Amee Sanghvi- Creative and Design Strategist | Creative Brand Partner, Oon
    o Anshul Mishra- Strategic Growth Partner | Scale-up Specialist | Marketing Counsel @ OON
    o Anusha Subramaniam – Award-winning journalist | Content Consultant | Inclusion Advocate | Strategic Content Counsel @ OON
    o Dipali Sikand – Serial Entrepreneur | Women Empowerment Champion @ OON
    o Gauri Sawant- Transgender Activist | LGBTQIA+ Counsel @ OON
    o Gayatri Ramanathan – Sustainability & ESG storytelling expert
    o Minari Shah- Corporate and Brand Narratives | Building Leaders of the Future | Corporate and C-Suite Reputation Counsel @ OON
    o Nitisha Agrawal, Nitisha Agrawal | Founder & Director, Smokeless Cookstove Foundation | Access to clean energy & climate adaptability for the most marginal communities | Climate Change from the Grassroots Specialist @ OON
    o Pallavi Mutalik Hebbar, Consulting & Risk Advisory,Geopolitics,  AI Counsel @ OON 
    o Renuka Sanghvi, Mental and Emotional Health Counsel @ OON
    o   Roopa Arun, Educationist | Policy | Institution Building | Education Industry Counsel @ OON
    o Sangita Thakur – Founder, Ashtavakra Accessibility Solutions | PwD Counsel and Inclusive Communications Strategist @ OON
    o Sowmya Raman- Organisational Transformation | Change Management Specialist |  Talent and Internal Communications Counsel @ OON
    o Talish Ray, Partner, TRS Law Offices | Policy and Law | Legal Expert @ OON
    o Wei Ling Chiu, Founder & Chief Client Engagement Officer, Be Bold | B2B and Enterprise Technology Counsel @ OON

    The OON Partners:
    o Preeti Juneja, DreamWeb India | Personal Branding Partner, OON
    o  Rachana Chowdhary, Founder & CEO, MediaValueWorks | Partner, OON
    o Smita Uchil, Co-founder, Mavendoer | Digital Partner, OON
    o Wei Ling Chiu, Founder & Chief Client Engagement Officer, Be Bold | B2B and Enterprise Technology Partner @ OON

     

  • Havas Life Mumbai brings home old hand as managing director

    Havas Life Mumbai brings home old hand as managing director

    MUMBAI: Havas Life Mumbai, the healthcare communications arm of Havas India, has tapped industry veteran Dorelle Kulkarni as its new managing director in a move that feels like a homecoming for both parties. Kulkarni, who previously spent a decade at what was then Sorento Healthcare (now Havas Life Mumbai), steps into the role vacated by Sangeeta Barde.

    “Joining Havas Life Mumbai feels like a homecoming,” said Kulkarni, who brings 30 years of health and wellness marketing expertise to the table. “I am excited to collaborate with a team that shares my passion for innovation and excellence in healthcare communications.”

    The appointment comes at a critical juncture for healthcare communications in India, which stands “at the forefront” of the global healthcare revolution, according to global chief client officer and CEO Havas Health Latam & APAC Charles Houdoux. Kulkarni will report directly to Houdoux while working closely with Havas India, SEA, and North Asia  group CEO Rana Barua.

    Kulkarni’s has had  stints at Publicis Health and Lowe Lintas, where she managed blue-chip clients such as Abbott, GSK, Pfizer and Novartis. Her appointment is expected to bolster Havas Life Mumbai’s position as a key player in Havas’s global health and wellness network.

    “Her deep industry expertise, strategic vision, and passion for innovation will be instrumental in shaping the next phase of growth,” said Barua, who also thanked outgoing chief Sangeeta Barde for her leadership.

    Havas India has been on a tear recently, acquiring new clients across various sectors and winning prestigious awards, including being Great Place To Work Certified™ for three consecutive years. The network comprises 25 agencies across three verticals: Havas Health Network, Havas Creative Network and Havas Media Network, with offices in Mumbai, Gurugram, Bengaluru and other major Indian cities.