ITV

Category: Media and Advertising

  • Preeti Jain joins Adani-GCC as CPO to shape talent and transform HR playbook

    Preeti Jain joins Adani-GCC as CPO to shape talent and transform HR playbook

    MUMBAI: After nearly thirty years of HR firefighting, boardroom negotiations, and decoding what ‘synergy’ really means, Preeti Jain has waltzed into her latest gig—chief people officer at Adani-GCC. She officially grabbed the role in March 2025 but decided to let Linkedin in on the secret just yesterday. From her new HQ perch in Ahmedabad, she’s already rolling up her sleeves to rewire the group’s talent machinery.

    As CPO, Jain is steering Adani-GCC’s strategic HR vision to build a world-class global capability centre grounded in process rigour, innovation, and internal talent hubs. “As the CPO driving the strategic initiative of the group of building a world class GCC focused on processes, innovation and a talent hub internally”, Jain stated.

    Before joining Adani-GCC, she served as vice president of human resources at Airtel for over three years, based in Gurugram. Her tenure was marked by efforts in strategic human resources leadership, career development, and organisational transformation.

    Jain’s earlier roles included CHRO at Droom (Feb–Oct 2021) and director of HR at Huawei Consumer Business Group for over 11 years, where she led manpower transitions, audits, certifications, and policy execution across functions. She has also held senior HR positions at Conexant and HFCL.

    From managing startups to overseeing multinational transitions, Jain brings deep operational insight into people development, executive coaching, stakeholder engagement, and performance frameworks. Her journey reflects a consistent push towards aligning HR with core business goals.

    In her current capacity, she is expected to anchor Adani-GCC’s long-term talent pipeline, craft scalable L&D frameworks, and implement people-first initiatives while balancing the pressures of scale.

  • Double act as Verma and Barjatya take charge in exhibition industry

    Double act as Verma and Barjatya take charge in exhibition industry

    MUMBAI: In a week that felt more like a blockbuster premiere than a boardroom shuffle, the exhibition industry welcomed two new leading men to its executive cast. Gautam Verma announced his new role as chief digital officer at a prominent exhibition firm, bringing with him a wealth of experience in digital transformation and strategic planning. Verma’s appointment signals a push towards integrating cutting-edge technology into exhibition experiences, aiming to enhance engagement and reach.

    Meanwhile, Sanjay Barjatya has been promoted to chief executive officer at Roongta Cinemas, a division of Roongta Entertainment Limited. With over 19 years in the entertainment sector, Barjatya’s ascent reflects his deep understanding of cinema operations and audience preferences. His leadership is expected to drive Roongta Cinemas into a new era of innovation and expansion.

    For Verma, who officially assumed his new role in May 2025, this marks a sharp pivot from healthtech to travel. Prior to joining Travelwings, he was a founding member and marketing lead at Eka.care, where he spent over four years building integrated marketing strategies in the healthcare space. Before that, he co-founded Adapts Media and held marketing roles at DAMAC Properties in the UAE, gaining strong experience in business strategy, SEO, and international campaigns.

    Meanwhile, Barjatya’s journey through the exhibition sector reads like a manual in operations mastery. Starting out at PVR in 2004, he steadily climbed the industry ladder with stints at M2K Cinemas, Cinemax India, OSR Cinemas, Miraj Entertainment, and now Roongta. From managing two-screen properties to overseeing regional operations and business development across India, his portfolio boasts multi-theatre P&L management, developer relations, and expansion strategy. He served as VP of Roongta before being named CEO in September 2024.

    In an industry where the spotlight is often on the show, it’s the strategic minds behind the scenes that set the stage for success.

  • Nisha Didwania steps up as senior vice president at Zenith

    Nisha Didwania steps up as senior vice president at Zenith

    MUMBAI:Nisha Didwania has levelled up at Zenith, taking charge as senior vice president in April 2025. After steadily climbing the ranks at the agency, this move marks the next big chapter in her 18-year journey through India’s media maze.

    From dissecting brand briefs to decoding media trends, Nisha’s expertise lies in crafting integrated strategies that don’t just meet KPIs but knock them out of the park. At Zenith, she leads one of the region’s largest accounts, driving seamless planning, activation, and future-facing AOPs. Her track record includes everything from pushing digital transformation to rallying high-performance teams and orchestrating cross-functional magic.

    Before this, Nisha held leadership roles at Motivator, Carat, Accenture, and Maxus—where she’s practically done it all: new biz wins, media efficiency hunts, stakeholder tangoes, and even flipping traditional mindsets to integrated powerhouses.

    Known for her no-fuss, all-focus style and ability to build future-ready teams, Nisha isn’t just riding the media wave—she’s steering it.

  • Ashish Singh hops over to Starcom as vice president after a long Mindshare innings

    Ashish Singh hops over to Starcom as vice president after a long Mindshare innings

    MUMBAI: Ashish Singh, a seasoned digital strategist with close to 20 years in media and marketing, has joined Starcom as vice president. The move comes after a rewarding 6-year run at Mindshare, where he last served as principal partner.

    Ashish’s career reads like a masterclass in Indian media evolution — from steering digital growth at Mindshare and Carat, to shaping strategies at Omnicom, Isobar, Hungama, and even a pre-digital era stint at Naukri.com.

    From new business pitches to integrated digital solutions, Ashish has been the go-to guy for driving revenue and innovation. His impressive resume includes managing marquee accounts, building digital roadmaps, leading pitch wins, and mentoring teams across verticals.

    With this power move to Starcom, industry insiders are watching closely as Singh aims to script a fresh growth story at the Publicis-owned agency. Let the planning wars begin.

  • Indian watchdog had reason to raid global ad agencies for price-fixing

    Indian watchdog had reason to raid global ad agencies for price-fixing

    MUMBAI: Even as India’s advertising industry executives were painting the town red at their annual jamboree in Goa, a Reuters exposé should have them reaching for paracetamol. The party-poopers at India’s Competition Commission have uncovered a cosy cartel that makes the old boys’ club look positively egalitarian.

    A confidential document dated 7 February reveals that global advertising giants have been caught red-handed coordinating the commissions they charge clients—a practice about as competitive as a rigged horse race. The evidence was so damning it prompted surprise raids in March at the Indian offices of WPP-owned GroupM, Interpublic, Publicis and Dentsu, along with three industry bodies that apparently forgot the first rule of cartels: don’t leave a paper trail.

    The Competition Commission of India’s  (CCI’s) sleuths discovered not one but three separate cartels operating through the Indian Society of Advertisers, the Advertising Agencies Association of India  (AAAI) and the Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF) . It’s like finding out your local parish council is actually running the mafia.

    Since at least 2023, these agencies have been exchanging commercially sensitive information through WhatsApp groups. They agreed to stick to pre-decided commission structures with the discipline of a Swiss watch, the commission found.

    The AAAI, which represents the big four agencies, didn’t just coordinate prices. It organised virtual meetings to align on responses to clients and discussed “retaliatory action” against members who dared to break ranks. The group also “fixed the formula for fees in case of fee-based service to advertisers”, the commission noted—apparently unaware that price-fixing went out of fashion around the same time as top hats.

    None of the accused parties responded to Reuters’ queries, maintaining the kind of stony silence usually reserved for caught teenagers or politicians facing corruption charges.

    The case was triggered after Dentsu turned whistleblower—a move that proves there really is no honour among thieves. The revelations cast a shadow over India’s booming media sector, where Reliance-Disney and Sony are top dogs in a market worth $18.5 billion last year.

    The commission found that advertisers had “established a buyer’s cartel” whilst broadcasters engaged in “collective action to refrain from giving discounts.”. Another cartel lurks in the media segment, with attempts underway to establish one in the creative business too, because apparently one conspiracy just isn’t enough.
    In recent weeks, the AAAI  has privately advised members to avoid pricing discussions during meetings unless their legal adviser is present.

    The investigation comes as India’s advertising landscape shifts following last year’s $8.5 billion merger between Walt Disney and Reliance’s Indian media assets, creating a behemoth with an estimated 40 per cent share of the television and streaming ad market.

    India ranks as the world’s eighth-biggest advertising market, making this less a local spat and more a global reckoning. The CCI’s  investigation is expected to rumble on for several months before final findings emergE.

  • Breathe easy burnout is not your creative destiny

    Breathe easy burnout is not your creative destiny

    MUMBAI: Tired is not a personality trait. And if your big ideas feel more foggy than fiery, wellness expert Luke Coutinho might know why. At the Goa Fest 2025 fireside chat with VML India’s Babita Baruah, he unpacked the anatomy of burnout and why hustle culture is creativity’s worst enemy. “Are you exhausted or just on autopilot?” That was Luke Coutinho’s call to action to a room full of creative professionals who raised their hands at the mere mention of burnout. But Coutinho, integrative medicine expert and long-time advisor to India’s armed forces wasn’t here to peddle another green juice. He was here to challenge the cult of grind and offer a surprisingly simple antidote: adapt.

    Burnout, he explained, isn’t just about being busy. It’s chronic stress that numbs joy, dulls creativity, and disconnects people from the very things that once brought them meaning. “It’s when your favourite song doesn’t hit the same, your child’s smile doesn’t light you up, and your morning coffee is just a prop to survive,” he said.

    Contrary to social media’s rigid checklists, Coutinho advised attendees to stop chasing generic wellness trends and instead tailor health practices to their own lives. “Trying to live like a reel will burn you out faster than your deadlines,” he quipped. The solution? A mindful mix of food, sleep, movement, and emotion.

    Four lifestyle levers for creative spark:

    ●    Nutrition: Ditch junk and stimulants. They tank energy and ideas.

    ●    Sleep: It’s not about waking up early, it’s about completing your sleep cycle.

    ●    Emotional wellness: Channel pain into power, not procrastination.

    ●    Movement: Walk, stretch, breathe—endorphins boost the prefrontal cortex, your creative HQ.

    Coutinho dismantled hustle culture as “glorified exhaustion”. Instead, he urged for a shift from performative busyness to “purposeful urgency”. As proof, he shared a story about the architect of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa who, before his big pitch, didn’t power through but went for a swim to reconnect with himself. “Stillness before action. That’s how true creativity emerges,” said Coutinho.

    He also offered a practical fix: six minutes a day. That’s all you need, he said, to begin rewiring your burnout brain:

    1.    Mind Sweep (Morning) – List 3 things you’re grateful for. Set a daily intention.

    2.    Breath Stacking (Midday) – Take 8–10 deep, slow breaths. Reset.

    3.    Digital Sunset (Evening) – Switch off all screens and reflect on a small win.

    These micro-rituals anchor you in the present, a place creatives rarely linger.

    He concluded with a reality check shaped by his work with terminal patients: “Not one of them talks about their titles or salary. They remember love, laughter, and memories.” The lesson? Life isn’t a sprint, and your legacy won’t be built in unread emails.

    So the next time your creativity stalls, don’t scroll or sprint pause, breathe, and ask: what really makes me feel alive?

  • Clickbait to clean slate as HUL leads media trust reset drive

    Clickbait to clean slate as HUL leads media trust reset drive

     MUMBAI: What’s invisible, expensive, and possibly not even human? Thirty percent of your ad impressions. Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL),  head of media and digital marketing Tejas Apte didn’t mince words at Goa Fest 2025 as he peeled back the pixel-perfect surface of digital advertising to reveal a mess of murky metrics and media mayhem.

    Speaking in a session titled ‘Building a Safer, Smarter, Cleaner Media Ecosystem’, Apte laid bare the underbelly of modern marketing where ad fraud, bot views, and misuse of data are quietly eating away at ROI and trust. With up to 30 per cent of digital impressions possibly fake, brands aren’t just losing money; they’re losing credibility.

    “Legacy media had a balance subscription and ad-funded models. But digital is almost entirely ad-funded,” he noted. “And that makes transparency and safety non-negotiable.”

    As part of the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA), HUL has taken a lead in drafting a four-point media charter that aims to disinfect digital with real-world rigour:Safe placements for both brands and users, Viewability standards to filter out the fake, Fraud prevention that spans all formats and platforms, Responsible first-party data usage grounded in clear consent.

    Apte underscored that these principles weren’t just boardroom theory, they were co-created with platforms like Google and Meta, ensuring that everyone speaks the same metric language. The focus is shifting from shallow click metrics to meaningful business outcomes.

    The ad world’s changing algorithm isn’t just affecting platforms, it’s rewriting agency job descriptions. With automation and AI replacing mechanical tasks, Apte sees agencies morphing from campaign vendors to strategic business partners. “In-housing is real, but rarely complete. Agencies remain critical, if they evolve from service delivery to impact delivery.”

    While some brands are building internal muscle, the ISA charter pushes for an ecosystem-wide adoption from nimble startups to legacy giants. The ultimate goal? A future where every impression counts, every ad is seen by a human, and every click has consequence.

    Practising what they preach, HUL has already implemented these guidelines internally. The result? Sharper first-party data strategies, better media ROI, and a wave of new, trustworthy media partners.

    So, next time your ad gets a million impressions, pause to ask were any of them real? Or are we all just chasing ghosts in the machine?

    As Apte put it with a smile, “Click fraud is not just a tech issue. It’s a trust issue.”

  • Enormous takes the creative agency Abby crown at GoaFest 2025

    Enormous takes the creative agency Abby crown at GoaFest 2025

    GOA: Mumbai’s glittering advertising elite gathered for the Abby creative awards 2025, powered by One Show, and what a bash it was! The night saw agencies duking it out for supremacy, with some truly enormous wins and a few surprises.

    Enormous clinched the coveted creative agency of the year title, proving their creative muscle is, well, gargantuan. ItFCB  bagged a whopping 67 metals, including 6 gold, 17 silver, 24 bronze, and 20 merits, accumulating a grand total of 286 points. Leo India, not far behind, stacked up 51 metals for a respectable 196 points, while VML India, with a Grand Prix under its belt, tallied 78 points. Clearly, size does matter when it comes to creative firepower.

    In the specialist categories, Leo India showed its strategic genius, being crowned the brand activation & promotions specialist agency of the year with 30 points and also dominating as the health specialist agency of the year, amassing 40 points. Talk about being a well-oiled machine!

    FCB India wasn’t to be outdone, nabbing the branded content & entertainment specialist agency of the year with 30 points. It seems their content is so good, it’s almost too branded. And when it came to the visual feast, Good Morning Films was hailed as the video craft specialist of the year, scoring a dazzling 84 points. Their work, one might say, was simply picture-perfect.

    Individual campaigns that got chatter going  included Famous Innovations’ The Anatomy of Suffering for Henlo Pet Nutrition, which snared a Grand Prix in Still Print – Still Craft – Art Direction. Pet lovers, prepare to be paws-itively moved. In the Audio-Visual category, Enormous bagged two golds for Wok Tok By Veeba’s “Chinese, par apne style se” and Lahori Jeera’s “Har Koi Peera Lahori Zeera“—proving that when it comes to food, Enormous really knows how to cook up a storm.

    Meanwhile, Neeman’s Are Those Neeman’s Shoes Phone Hack campaign by VML India caused quite the stir, landing a Grand Prix for Audio – Voice-Activation. One might even say it spoke volumes! Famous Innovations also scooped up a Grand Prix for The Anatomy of Suffering for Henlo Pet Nutrition in Out of Home (Ambient Media), showing that their suffering has truly paid off.

    From Durex India’s Teaching India to get it wrong by FCB India to MyMuse’s Designed to Find the Right Spot by Famous Innovations, the awards celebrated campaigns that were both bold and brilliant, leaving no creative stone unturned.

     The Abbys once again showcased that in the mad world of advertising, a bit of cheeky creativity and strategic nous are always a winning combination.

  • Ad reels and recall: Senthil Kumar reveals what set the jury screens ablaze at Goafest 2025

    Ad reels and recall: Senthil Kumar reveals what set the jury screens ablaze at Goafest 2025

    MUMBAI: In a session that played out like a director’s cut of India’s most memorable commercials, VML India CCO Senthil Kumar took the Goafest 2025 audience inside the jury room for a deep dive into what makes an ad truly work. The verdict? If you’d willingly watch it again, it’s doing something right.

    Speaking under the session banner ‘What Ignited the Jury Room?’, Kumar opened with a simple litmus test: “The best ad films aren’t just one-watch wonders. A great film has repeat value”.

    Kumar walked attendees through a curated list of top-performing ad films that had not just caught the jury’s eye, but had also burned themselves into the audience’s collective memory.

    One of the top contenders was the Lahori Zeera commercial. “Every frame had the brand. That’s rare today”, Kumar said, noting how strong visual branding contributed to high recall.

    Another winner was the Veeba Desi Chinese spot, which cleverly flipped expectations. “Chinese characters behaving like Indians—it’s fresh, culturally playful, and paired with a sticky soundtrack. That’s what lands”, he said.

    He also tipped his hat to the Snickers ad directed by Rohit Shetty. While Kumar admitted it wasn’t a novel idea globally, its execution was unmistakably local and creatively bold. “’Grab a Snickers’ may not be new, but how you grab attention is”, he said.

    In the Dream11 campaign, Kumar praised its sharp scripting and cast synergy. “It’s not easy to pull off dialogue-led storytelling with both actors and cricketers, but this one had audiences asking, ‘Aapki team mein kaun hai?’ on loop”.

    He rounded off with the Adani campaign highlighting rural electrification. “’Pehle pankha aayega, phir bijli aayegi’ wasn’t just a line, it was a layered narrative of transformation”. Kumar added.

    Throughout the session, Kumar emphasised one consistent metric: resonance. “An idea may be clever, but if it doesn’t move you—or make you laugh, pause, or hum—it’s just noise”, he concluded.

    Goafest’s jury, he noted, rewarded ads that nailed both craft and clarity, but above all, evoked genuine emotion or reaction. In the scroll-and-skip era, Kumar reminded creatives that the real test of storytelling lies in its staying power.

  • Being uncomfortable is a creative superpower, says Marcel CEO Youri Guerassimov at Goafest 2025

    Being uncomfortable is a creative superpower, says Marcel CEO Youri Guerassimov at Goafest 2025

    MUMBAI: At Day three of Goafest 2025, Marcel (Paris) chief creative officer & CEO Youri Guerassimov delivered a wake-up call to a packed house, reminding brands that playing safe is a fast-track ticket to irrelevance. His keynote, titled ‘Creativity That Dares to Disrupt’, challenged marketers to ditch comfort and lean into creative bravery.

    “Bravery in advertising is about stepping outside comfort zones and challenging norms”, said Guerassimov, adding that brands face an uphill battle for attention with over 6,000 ads bombarding consumers each day. Visibility alone no longer cuts it; what cuts through is conviction.

    Citing global studies, he noted that 86 per cent of consumers (Edelman) now expect brands to take a stand on social or environmental issues, and 66 per cent (Accenture) are willing to switch allegiance if companies remain silent. “Fear is temporary”, he warned. “Regret is forever”.

    Drawing from iconic campaigns, Guerassimov spotlighted Nike’s controversial Colin Kaepernick ad as a case of calculated defiance and cultural impact. He also praised Volvo for its courage in sharing a safety innovation with rivals—an act that served both purpose and people.

    Importantly, he clarified that bravery in branding doesn’t always require provocation. “Bravery can be strategic, design-led, or business-oriented”, he said, showcasing Mcdonald’s minimalist billboard and Marcel’s ‘Inglorious Fruits and Vegetables’ campaign. The latter began as a simple retail concept and grew into a national movement tackling food waste.

    Guerassimov also emphasised that bravery lies not in budgets but in belief. Whether it’s a few purposeful words added to a contract or overhauling a store layout to reflect values, real change comes from intent and execution.

    He celebrated Patagonia’s headline-making move to donate its profits to climate activism as a prime example of purpose-driven disruption. “Bravery is a strategic tool”, he affirmed. “A superpower to connect with consumers and lead markets”.

    Ultimately, Guerassimov urged brands to trust their ideas and act on them decisively. “When you feel a little uncomfortable with your idea, that’s often the sign you’re on the right track”.