Category: MAM

  • Akshay Mathur’s new venture promises to turn platform ambition into cold, hard cash across Asia

    Akshay Mathur’s new venture promises to turn platform ambition into cold, hard cash across Asia

    MUMBAI: After two decades of making other people’s platforms profitable, Akshay Mathur has decided it’s time to build his own money-making machine. The adtech veteran has launched Unpromptd, a revenue infrastructure firm targeting digital platforms across Asia’s most lucrative—and complex—markets.

    Mathur, who recently departed his role as chief revenue officer at Tyroo after six years, believes platforms have had quite enough strategy presentations, thank you very much. What they need, he argues, is someone who can actually turn their grand ambitions into recurring revenue streams.

    “Platforms don’t need more strategy decks,” Mathur declared while announcing t the launch. “They need real execution, revenue accountability, and a partner who understands the complexity of scaling in markets like India, southeast Asia, and the Middle East.”

    The timing is hardly accidental. Asia’s digital advertising market has been on a tear, with platforms scrambling to monetise everything from social commerce to gaming. But many stumble when it comes to the nitty-gritty of revenue generation—precisely where Mathur sees opportunity.

    His pedigree suggests he knows whereof he speaks. At Komli Media, Mathur was part of the managing board that engineered a 10-fold jump in net profits before the company’s eventual acquisition by Dentsu Aegis Network in 2017 for an undisclosed sum. At Tyroo, he built monetisation partnerships with the likes of Meta, Twitter, Snapchat, Outbrain and Criteo, helping these global giants crack complex Asian markets.

    The 22-year industry veteran has witnessed first hand how the right operating model can unlock value that often sits tantalizingly out of reach. His new venture promises to be the bridge between platform potential and profit realisation.

    Unpromptd’s mission is straightforward: become the monetisation partner of choice for every digital platform serious about growth in Asia. It’s an ambitious target in a region where local nuance can make or break even the most sophisticated global strategies.

    Mathur’s approach combines hard-won experience with what he calls “precision execution”—a recognition that Asia’s next growth wave will belong to those who move first and move smart. With platforms increasingly desperate to prove their business models beyond user acquisition, Unpromptd arrives at a moment when such expertise commands premium prices.

    The venture launches from Gurugram, positioning itself at the heart of India’s digital economy while eyeing expansion across the broader Asian market. For platforms tired of beautiful presentations that fail to move the revenue needle, Mathur’s promise of accountability over aspiration may prove irresistible.

    Whether Unpromptd can deliver on its bold promises remains to be seen. But with Asian digital advertising spend continuing its relentless march upward, the demand for Mathur’s particular brand of monetisation magic has never been stronger.

  • Shoumyan Biswas takes the global marketing wheel at Practo

    Shoumyan Biswas takes the global marketing wheel at Practo

    MUMBAI: Shoumyan Biswas, one of India’s most pedigreed marketing minds, has just hung his boots at Tata Digital and laced up for his next sprint—as the global chief marketing and strategy officer at Practo. The move puts him squarely in the driver’s seat of the healthtech player’s next growth phase.

    Biswas, known for launching Flipkart Plus, scaling Big Billion Days, and making loyalty glamorous  again, isn’t your average CMO. He’s also held P&L roles, built brands from scratch, and juggled strategy, product, and people mandates across unicorns and FMCG giants alike.

    From starting out at Pepsi to orchestrating multi-million dollar brand lifts at Hindustan Unilever, scaling kitchen empires at Rebel Foods, advising ICICI Lombard’s board, and leading loyalty and growth at Flipkart and Tata, the man’s résumé reads like a marketer’s bucket list.

    At Tata Digital, he wore three hats—CMO, business head, and chief of group loyalty. Now, at Practo, he’s sharpening his scalpel to carve out new-age healthcare narratives, with a dose of data and digital sorcery.
    With over two decades of shaping brands and boosting bottom lines, this boardroom giant is now gunning for a healthier, wealthier Practo.

     Watch this space—Biswas rarely misses a prescription for impact.

  • Enormous rings up mobile victory as Goafest goes portable

    Enormous rings up mobile victory as Goafest goes portable

    GOA: Day two of Goafest 2025 saw Enormous proving that size matters in the mobile specialist category, though ironically their victory came through modest means rather than massive hauls.

    The agency dialled up 12 points to claim the ‘mobile specialist agency of the year’ title with one silver, one bronze and a merit—a performance that was more steady connection than lightning-fast 5G, but apparently quite enough to leave competitors with no signal.

    In a delicious twist, the runners-up actually managed to bag the category’s only gold medals. McCann Worldgroup India and VML India each secured eight points with one gold apiece, proving that sometimes having fewer awards but better quality can still leave you runner-up. 

    BBH Communications India and Mindshare found themselves tied at six points each courtesy of one silver apiece.

    The middle order proved that even in mobile marketing, participation trophies still exist. Havas Life Mumbai managed four points with a bronze, whilst The New Thing by Talented also hit four points but did it the hard way with two merits.

    Those bringing up the rear weren’t entirely left on silent mode. redBus, BC Web Wise, Cheil India, and FCB India all managed two points with a merit each.

    The Abby Creative Awards 2025, powered by The One Show, continued their systematic sweep through advertising’s specialist categories, with broadcaster, PR, digital specialist, design specialist, and direct specialist awards.

  • Y&H designs a path to victory at Goafest in design specialist category

    Y&H designs a path to victory at Goafest in design specialist category

    GOA: Day two of Goafest 2025 witnessed Y&H putting pen to paper and coming up with a masterpiece performance in the design specialist category, proving that sometimes good design really is worth a thousand words—or in this case, 52 points.

    The agency crafted its way to the ‘design specialist agency of the year’ title with three silvers, eight bronzes and a merit, a portfolio so impressive it left rivals wondering if they’d been using crayons whilst Y&H wielded proper brushes.

    Famous Innovations managed to sketch out second place with 44 points courtesy of four silvers and five bronzes—a performance that was undeniably famous, though perhaps not quite innovative enough to topple the leader. Open  Strategy & Design rounded out the podium with 30 points from two silvers, four bronzes and a merit, proving that being open about your strategy sometimes pays dividends.

    McCann Worldgroup India managed a respectable 18 points with one silver, two bronzes and two merits, whilst Tribes Communication grabbed 16 points through four bronzes—the sort of consistent bronze-winning that suggests they’ve mastered the art of being consistently third-best.

    The middle tier was awash with agencies earning their design stripes. Tree Design, EbbXFlo, and Havas Worldwide India each managed eight points. Tree Design and EbbXFlo both secured two bronzes apiece, whilst Havas opted for one silver and one merit—different strokes for different folks, as they say in the design world.

    Leo India managed six points with three merits. Meanwhile, tgthr., Grey Group, Enormous, CCL Products (India) and Brave all clustered at four points each.

    Innocean Worldwide Communication  brought up the rear with two points from a single merit.

    The Abby Creative Awards 2025, powered by The One Show, continued their methodical categorisation of creative excellence, with broadcaster, PR, mobile specialist, technology specialist, and direct specialist awards ensuring every possible advertising discipline gets its moment to shine.

  • Leo India goes direct to the top as Goafest cuts out the middleman

    Leo India goes direct to the top as Goafest cuts out the middleman

    GOA: Day two of Goafest 2025 saw Leo India take the direct route to victory in the direct specialist category, proving that sometimes the shortest distance between two points is a pile of shiny awards.

    The agency steamrolled to the ‘direct specialist agency of the year’ title with 40 points, built on three silvers, five bronzes and a merit—a performance so direct it made other agencies wonder if they’d been taking scenic routes all along.

    Famous Innovations lived up to its name by famously securing second place with 30 points courtesy of five silver medals, though one suspects they might have preferred trading some of that silver for a bit more gold. FCB India rounded out the podium with 26 points, but not before bagging the coveted Grand Prix for its Lucky Yatra campaign for Central Railways—proving that sometimes the best way to reach your destination is by train.
    FCB India’s Grand Prix triumph, accompanied by one gold and one silver, demonstrated that railway campaigns can indeed have locomotives rather than just motives.FCB India

    Enormous managed a solid fourth place with 24 points through one silver, three bronzes and three merits—a performance that was moderately enormous rather than properly massive. Meanwhile, Havas Worldwide India  and McCann Worldgroup India found themselves tied at 16 points each, both managing two golds apiece.

    The middle order proved that mediocrity comes in many flavours. Grey Group grabbed 12 points with three bronzes, whilst Schbang settled for eight points courtesy of two bronzes. The participation trophy brigade included Mudra Max with four points from two merits, and tgthr. with four points from one bronze.

    Those trailing weren’t entirely forgotten. ^a t o m network, BBH Communications India, Digitas, and VML India all managed two points each with a merit apiece.

    The Abby Creative Awards 2025, powered by The One Show, continued their systematic conquest of advertising categories, with broadcaster, PR, digital specialist, and design specialist awards ensuring every conceivable niche gets its moment of glory.
     

  • Enormous lives up to its name as digital dominance gets properly massive

    Enormous lives up to its name as digital dominance gets properly massive

    GOA: Day two of Goafest 2025 witnessed Enormous absolutely bulldozing the digital specialist category with the sort of performance that makes other agencies wonder if they’ve been doing this whole digital thing wrong all along.

    The aptly named agency lived up to its billing by hoovering up 64 points through one gold, five silvers, six bronzes and a merit—a haul so comprehensive it left competitors reaching for their calculators and then quietly weeping into their keyboards.

    Leo India managed a respectable second place with 26 points courtesy of two silvers, three bronzes and a merit, though one suspects they might have preferred a few more zeros on that scoreboard. Meanwhile, ^a t o m network and Mudra Max found themselves locked in a dead heat at 22 points each—^a t o m network with one silver, three bronzes and two merits, whilst Mudra Max opted for one silver and four bronzes. 

    The gold rush wasn’t entirely monopolised by the winner. Tilt Brand Solutions snagged 18 points with one gold, one silver and one bronze, whilst Schbang grabbed 16 points with one gold and two bronzes. Swiggy Ltd proved that food delivery companies can serve up awards too, bagging 14 points with one gold and one silver.

    The middle order was packed tighter than a Mumbai local train. Digitas, Maitri Advertising Works, The New Thing by Talented, and VML India all managed 12 points each—though their routes  varied wildly. FCB India scraped together 10 points with one bronze and three merits.

    Those trailing weren’t entirely forgotten. Grey Group, Krafton India, and Restless – a division of Magic Circle Communications each managed six points, whilst the stragglers—BelieveTrinity, Havas Life Mumbai, Havas Worldwide India , Interactive Avenues , and Rapidue Technologies —all pocketed two points each. 

    The Abby Creative Awards 2025, powered by The One Show, continued their systematic dismantling of every conceivable advertising category, with broadcaster, design specialist, mobile specialist, technology specialist, and direct specialist awards ensuring no stone remains unturned in the quest for creative excellence.

  • Leo India and Mindshare tie for tech supremacy as Goafest gets techie

    Leo India and Mindshare tie for tech supremacy as Goafest gets techie

    GOA: Day two of Goafest 2025 delivered a technological thriller as Leo India and Mindshare found themselves locked in a perfect 10-point tie for ‘technology specialist agency of the year’—proof that sometimes even the most sophisticated algorithms can’t pick a winner.

    Leo India clinched its share of the crown with one silver and two merits, whilst Mindshare matched the tally with one silver and one bronze. It was the sort of neck-and-neck finish that would make a horse race look pedestrian.
    Leo India
    The chasing pack managed  eight points each. ^a t o m network secured third place with one bronze and two merits, whilst Cheil India, Enormous, Havas Life Mumbai, and Madison Media all bagged eight points courtesy of two bronzes each. Good Morning Films managed the same score with a single gold—which suggests that sometimes quality beats quantity, though not by much.

    The middle order was positively stuffed with contenders. BBH Communications India private limited, Hyphen Brands, and Tagglabs Experiential each grabbed six points, with BBH and Tagglabs managing a silver apiece whilst Hyphen Brands settled for one bronze and one merit. Tribes Communication also hit six points, though it did it the hard way with three merits—the participation trophy approach to excellence.

    The tail-enders weren’t entirely forgotten. FCB India and Interactive Avenues each scraped together four points with two merits apiece, whilst Hogarth Studios managed the same score with a single bronze. Grey Group and VML India brought up the rear with two points each, courtesy of one merit—hardly the stuff of technological revolution, but at least they showed up.

    The Abby Creative Awards 2025, powered by The One Show, continued their relentless categorisation of excellence, with broadcaster, PR, digital specialist, design specialist, mobile specialist, and direct specialist awards ensuring that every conceivable advertising niche gets its moment in the sun.

    (Pictures: Top: The Mindshare team, below: The Leo India team)

  • FCB India spins gold in PR specialist agency of  the year at Abby Creative Awards by One Show

    FCB India spins gold in PR specialist agency of the year at Abby Creative Awards by One Show

    GOA: Day two of Goafest 2025 witnessed FCB India absolutely demolishing the competition in the public relations category, proving that sometimes the best way to handle PR is to simply be brilliant at it.

    The agency swept to victory as ‘public relations specialist agency of the year’ with a frankly ridiculous haul of 66 points, built on four golds, three silvers, three bronzes and two merits. It was the sort of performance that left rivals wondering whether they’d accidentally entered a different competition entirely.

    Leo India managed a respectable runner-up spot with 38 points, courtesy of three silvers, four bronzes and two merits—though one suspects they might have preferred trading some of that bronze for a bit more gold. Tribes Communication rounded out the podium with 26 points, bagging one gold, two silvers, one bronze and a merit in what can only be described as a thoroughly balanced performance.

    The others  made their presence felt too. BC Web Wise nabbed 10 points with one silver and one bronze, whilst Grey group and Mudra Max each scored eight points—Grey group with a single gold and Mudra Max with two bronzes. Meanwhile, ^a t o m network, Godrej Enterprises group, and Social Panga – Higa Digital all managed six points apiece, proving that in the PR game, every point counts.

    Even the laggards got their moment. Grey Alchemy picked up four points with a bronze, whilst boAt Lifestyle and Digitas each secured two points with a merit—hardly earth-shattering, perhaps, but better than going home empty-handed.

    The Abby Creative Awards 2025, powered by The One Show, continued their relentless march through specialist categories, with broadcaster, digital specialist, design specialist, mobile specialist, technology specialist, and direct specialist awards all up for grabs. 

  • Goafest day two blends bold ideas, brand battles and billboard truths under the Goan sun

    Goafest day two blends bold ideas, brand battles and billboard truths under the Goan sun

    MUMBAI: The second day at Goafest 2025 closed on a power-packed note, stitching together the evolving face of leadership, storytelling, advertising, and digital strategy with candid charm and calculated insight.

    The post-lunch energy got a creative jolt with the session ‘WTF is Creative Leadership Now?’, where industry veterans Bobby Pawar, Sonal Dabral, Senthil Kumar and Lulu Raghavan broke down the evolving role of the CCO. “If you’re not in an agency where the CCO is central, you’re in the wrong one”, Bobby declared, dubbing the creative head the “instigator-in-chief”. Lulu called for reinstating the CCO as the creative spine, not a spreadsheet slave. Sonal framed the role as a bridge between brand vision and talent culture. Rohit Ohri summed it up: “The CCO today isn’t the loudest in the room but the one who builds safe, collaborative spaces”.

    Next, Amazon MX Player’s Karan Bedi spotlighted the streaming surge. With over 1.4 billion downloads and 250 million active users, MX is doubling down on drama, romance, and reality content across Amazon platforms. “Streaming video ads are outperforming other formats in brand recall”, Bedi noted, predicting digital video advertising will eclipse TV within a year. He laid out a full-funnel strategy integrating shopping signals, micro-dramas and show-based storytelling to help brands find their tribe.

    The attention then shifted outdoors in the IOAA-backed panel ‘The Last Unskippable Medium’. Times OOH’s Shekhar Narayanaswami noted, “You can’t swipe past a billboard”. Ajay Kakar called for killing the ‘digital vs non-digital’ binary. Promita Saha urged brands to go beyond metros, tapping cultural hotspots like melas. Sandeep Bommireddi argued that digital is a horizontal layer across all media. Dipankar Sanyal closed with a reminder: “OOH isn’t guesswork anymore. It’s data-backed, measurable and fiercely effective”.

    In a lighter yet no-nonsense fireside chat titled ‘Why So Serious?’, Gautam Gambhir disarmed the crowd with brutal honesty. “10,000 runs don’t matter. Match-winning moments define you”, he said. Speaking on leadership and legacy, Gambhir urged youth to make peace with mistakes: “If you take a decision with the right intent, it’s okay to be wrong”. His message: play for the common man, not the broadcaster.

    The storytelling baton passed to ‘Rewriting the Rules of Storytelling’ featuring Suniel Shetty and Deepak Dhar. Shetty spoke of action, discipline and emotional arcs. “Fitness isn’t just muscles, it’s sustainable health”, he said, describing Hunter Season 2 as more heart than hammer. Dhar unpacked Rise and Fall as a metaphorical hustle between privilege and grit. “Great content is built on process and passion”, he said.

    The day wound down with Wine & Cheese hosted by Amazon MX Player, followed by a musical showdown at ‘Advertising Rocks’, giving agency folks their moment to rock the mic. Delegates gathered for a breezy sundowner powered by Truecaller & Big Live before the night turned up with Abby Awards 2025. Set India, Sony Sab and Sharechat handed out honours in digital, design, PR, mobile, and broadcaster categories.

    Masterclasses by Shahad Anand (MediaKart), Sana Shaikh (Flipkart), Nick Eagleton (D&AD), and Senthil Kumar (VML) provided hands-on insights into next-gen ads, innovation pipelines, storytelling craft, and split-second narratives.

    As Goa’s salty breeze cooled the creative heat, day two proved that in a world of scrolls and skips, stories, strategy and serendipity still rule the game.

    Stay tuned as Goafest 2025 enters its final day. For the day three agenda, visit: https://www.goafest.com/goafest2025/event-schedule.php

  • Out-of-home still rules the streets as brands chase the last unskippable medium

    Out-of-home still rules the streets as brands chase the last unskippable medium

    MUMBAI: At Goafest 2025, the session ‘Ignite The Attention – The Last Unskippable Medium’ spotlighted the enduring impact of out-of-home (OOH) advertising. The panel, moderated by Indian Outdoor Advertising Association (IOAA) CEO Praveen K Vadhera brought together industry heavyweights who argued that while screens can be skipped, billboards can’t be scrolled past.

    Adani Group head of corporate branding Ajay Kakar opened the discussion by cutting through the jargon. “Stop dividing media into digital and non-digital”, he said. “What matters is strategy for the consumer, not the medium”. Kakar called on the industry to steer clients, not just serve briefs, and stressed that OOH creatives must be original—not borrowed from print. “The idea is what truly matters—it must create impact”.

    Times Innovative Media (Times OOH) CEO Shekhar Narayanaswami defined the category in plain terms: “OOH is the experience of stepping out”. He described the medium as a counter to screen fatigue, offering unavoidable visibility. He added that combining physical ads with social media can amplify brand recall.

    Adonmo MD Sandeep Bommireddi reframed digital as a horizontal shift across all media. “Integration, not isolation”, he urged. OOH, he argued, is already evolving into smarter formats through tech overlays and data targeting. “Choose media based on your audience—not out of habit”.

    Platinum Communications and Madison Retail Paradigm CEO Dipankar Sanyal emphasised that “gut instinct is no longer king”. Today’s OOH is data-rich, performance-tracked, and measurable. “We now speak in the language of impressions and outcomes”.

    Karukrit Advertising VP Promita Saha brought the consumer lens into focus. “The consumer comes before the canvas”, she said, advocating for OOH stories that adapt to cultural moments. “Melas and local events are missed opportunities when we reuse print assets. The environment deserves its own narrative”.

    Together, the panellists agreed that OOH is more than a medium—it’s a mindset. One that blends tech, culture, creativity and commerce in an unskippable format.