MAM

Zenith’s Tom Goodwin dismisses concept of a digital world

Published

8 years ago

June 1, 2018

MUMBAI: The last few years have seen a major shift in consumer behaviour and the way brands interact with them through various mediums. So, the industry is evolving and changing? Well, if Zenith Media EVP and Head of Innovation Tom Goodwin is to be believed, nothing is changing.

“All we hear now is how the world is changing and the [advertising and marketing] industry is evolving, which is not true. Nothing is changing. Our businesses will not be hampered with drones overnight. It’s easier for people living in big cities to say that the world is changing, which is not the reality,” Goodwin said.

Speaking at Zee Melt 2018 marcom event here yesterday, Goodwin not only shattered some of the common perceptions and myths about the advertising and marketing industry but expounded too on his theories.

Take, for example, the perceptive trend of newspaper readerships on the decline globally with people now accessing news on hand-held devices like mobile phones and tablets. Goodwin rubbished this belief by stating that newspaper readerships have increased significant, especially in countries like India and Africa.

According to the Zenith executive, in a perfect future, passwords and payments could become a thing of the past and one would be able to unlock devices or pay a bill via face recognition software or a smile or a just a gesture. “But that’s far from today and we have to work actively in the right direction to make that happen as we, as an industry, only talk about technologies but know very little about them,” Goodwin explained, adding the industry hasn’t been able to use chatbots effectively.

Expounding more on technology, he said people were still trying to figure out technology and its many uses in, what he calls, the “mid-digital era”. “As our expectations are high, we tend to refer [to] the past and layer it up without completely understanding it. For instance, reading newspaper should give different consumer experience on different mediums. But it doesn’t. Most newspapers today tend to copy-paste the same model of the physical paper and put it up on the internet without any innovation,” Goodwin explained.

Pointing out that the world hasn’t “really seen any innovation in advertising since 1950”, while taking pride in being in the creative industry, he didn’t mince words: “We keep making the same mistakes”.

While everyone talks about how the millennials were difficult to connect with, Goodwin thought they were the “easiest generation to target”. Reason? As the millennials were always connected or on their mobile phones, there, probably, hasn’t been an easier group to “reach in the entire history of humanity”. Though he’s not the only one now saying so, but Goodwin is of the opinion that “TV is not going anywhere” or dying out due to a digital onslaught simply because “TV is now being watched at more places than ever” and it was “irritating to hear” about the death of television.

However, Goodwin certainly is not wishing away the march of digital altogether. The post “digital age” will be a world where digital will become a part of everybody’s existence and, for that to happen, “markets and agencies collectively need to create brand new experiences from the scratch”, was the advice. He added: “In order to do better business in times of chaos, brands need to transform their communication strategy by understanding people and what they need at what time.”

While everyone talks about a digital world, Goodwin thinks there is no digital world and people were just “obsessed with the idea of digital being a thing”. Why so? He explained: “We still talk about digital as a thing and a behaviour. We have heads for digital and digital strategy and digital advertising. For the next generation, digital will be a part of their lives just as electricity is. Do we have a global head for electricity? People today don’t do internet banking but do banking in 2018, they don’t do e-commerce, they just buy stuff as and when they feel like it.”

Not content with countering some presently held popular industry beliefs, Goodwin had some observations on brand expectations too. “Brands today like to set expectations of being the best or giving the best experience ever, which is not at all true. For instance, every bank wants to compare with every other big bank on the street,” the master said, adding, “But that’s not how a consumer judges you. They [consumers] judge you for your own service. Brands need to look into that [aspect], rather than setting high expectations.”

Moving on to technology and companies, Goodwin advised people to apply technology correctly though they may not necessarily be technology companies. Driving home the point that beyond all the hype, consumer was the king and that every company should keep consumers at the heart of their businesses, he said, “It’s an incredible balance to be made and brands like Uber, WeWork, Whatsapp, Facebook are doing a tremendous work in that area.”

He also noted that it was easy to presume that most companies don’t know what they were doing today, which is not the case really. “Most companies in the market today have had a large legacy behind them, and whatever and whichever version we see of them today, is a compilation of all the work they’ve been doing for so many years,” Goodwin explained, however, cautioning them of the need to “revamp and relook at their consumers” with a different lens to keep up with the changing needs and demands.

What does he think of the present era? “It’s the most exciting time to work in business, advertising and marketing. And to be alive,” was how Goodwin summed it all up.

Related Topics:advertising Digital marketing media Tom Goodwin Zee melt 2018 Zenith Media

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Brands

Netflix India names Rekha Rane director of films and series marketing

Streaming giant bets on a seasoned marketer who helped build Amazon and Netflix into household names

Published

2 weeks ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Netflix has put a proven brand builder at the helm of its films and series marketing in India, naming Rekha Rane as director in a move that signals sharper focus on audience growth and cultural cut-through in one of its most hotly contested markets.

Rane steps into the role after seven years at Netflix, where she has quietly shaped how the platform sells stories to India. Her latest promotion, effective February 2026, crowns a run that spans brand, slate and product marketing across originals, licensed content and new verticals such as games.

A strategic marketing and communications professional with roughly 15 years’ experience, Rane has spent much of her career building technology-led consumer businesses and new categories, notably e-commerce and subscription video on demand. She was part of the early push that introduced Amazon.in, Prime Video and Netflix to Indian homes, then helped turn them into everyday brands.

At Netflix, she most recently served as head of brand and slate marketing for India from March 2024 to February 2026, leading teams across media and marketing for global and local content portfolios. Before that, as manager for original films and series marketing, she led IP creation and go-to-market strategy for titles including Guns and Gulaabs, Kaala Paani, The Railway Men* and The Great Indian Kapil Show, spanning both binge and weekly-release formats.

Her earlier Netflix roles covered product discovery and promotion in India and integrated campaign strategy to drive conversations around the content slate, product awareness and brand-equity metrics.

Before Netflix, Rane logged more than three years at Amazon in brand marketing roles in Bengaluru. There she handled national and regional campaigns for Amazon.in, worked on customer assistance programmes in growth geographies and contributed to the go-to-market strategy for the launch of Prime Video India.

Her career began well away from streaming. At Reliance Brands in Mumbai, she worked on retail marketing for Diesel and Superdry. A stint at Leo Burnett saw her work on primary research for P&G Tide, mapping Indian shoppers’ paths to purchase. Earlier still, at Orange in the United Kingdom, she rose from sales assistant to store manager, running a team and owning monthly P&L for a retail outlet.

The arc is telling. As global streamers fight for attention in a crowded Indian market, executives who understand both mass retail behaviour and digital habit-building are prized. Rane’s career sits at that intersection.

For Netflix, the bet is simple: in a market spoilt for choice, sharp marketing can still tilt the screen. And with Rane now leading the charge, the streamer is signalling it wants not just viewers, but fandom.

Brands

Orient Beverages pops the fizz with steady Q3 gains and rising profits

Kolkata-based beverage maker reports stronger revenues and profits for December quarter.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: A fizzy quarter with a steady aftertaste that’s how Orient Beverages Limited, the company that manufactures and distributes packaged drinking water under the brand name Bisleri closed the December 2025 period, as the Kolkata-based drinks maker reported improved revenues and a healthy rise in profits, signalling operational stability in a competitive beverage market.

For the quarter ended December 31, 2025, Orient Beverages posted standalone revenue from operations of Rs 39.98 crore, up from Rs 36.42 crore in the previous quarter and Rs 33.53 crore in the same quarter last year. Total income for the quarter stood at Rs 42.24 crore, reflecting consistent demand and stable pricing across its beverage portfolio.

Profit before tax for the quarter came in at Rs 3.47 crore, a sharp improvement from Rs 1.31 crore in the September quarter and Rs 0.39 crore a year ago. After accounting for tax expenses of Rs 0.79 crore, the company reported a net profit of Rs 2.68 crore, nearly three times the Rs 0.99 crore recorded in the preceding quarter.

On a nine-month basis, the momentum remained intact. Revenue from operations for the period ended December 31, 2025 rose to Rs 117.66 crore, compared with Rs 106.95 crore in the corresponding period last year. Net profit for the nine months climbed to Rs 5.51 crore, more than double the Rs 2.18 crore reported in the same period of the previous financial year.

The consolidated numbers told a similar story. For the December quarter, consolidated revenue from operations stood at Rs 45.06 crore, while profit after tax came in at Rs 2.06 crore. For the nine-month period, consolidated revenue touched Rs 133.57 crore, with net profit of Rs 4.49 crore, underscoring the group’s improving profitability trajectory.

Operating expenses remained largely controlled, with cost of materials, employee benefits and other expenses broadly aligned with revenue growth. The company continued to operate within a single reportable segment beverages simplifying its cost structure and reporting framework.

The unaudited financial results were reviewed by the Audit Committee and approved by the Board of Directors at its meeting held on 7 February 2026. Statutory auditors carried out a limited review and reported no material misstatements in the results.

In a market where margins are often squeezed by input costs and competition, Orient Beverages’ latest numbers suggest the company has found a reliable rhythm not explosive, but steady enough to keep the fizz alive.

MAM

Washington Post CEO exits abruptly after newsroom cuts spark backlash

Leadership change follows layoffs, protests and a bruising battle over trust.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: When the presses are rolling but patience runs out, even the editor’s chair isn’t safe. The Washington Post announced on Saturday that its chief executive and publisher Will Lewis is stepping down with immediate effect, bringing a sudden end to a turbulent two-year tenure marked by financial strain, newsroom unrest and public backlash.

Lewis’s exit comes just days after the Bezos-owned newspaper announced sweeping job cuts that triggered protests outside its Washington headquarters and a wave of anger from readers and staff. While newspapers across the US are grappling with shrinking revenues and digital disruption, Lewis’s leadership had increasingly come under fire for how those pressures were handled.

The Post confirmed that Jeff D’Onofrio, a former Tumblr CEO who joined the organisation last year as chief financial officer, has taken over as CEO and publisher, effective immediately. In an email to staff, later shared by reporters on social media, Lewis said it was “the right time for me to step aside.”

The leadership change follows the announcement of large-scale redundancies earlier this week. While the Post did not officially confirm numbers, The New York Times reported that around 300 of the paper’s roughly 800 journalists were laid off. Entire teams were dismantled, including the Post’s Middle East bureau and its Kyiv-based correspondent covering the war in Ukraine.

Sports, graphics and local reporting were sharply reduced, and the paper’s daily podcast, Post Reports, was suspended. On Thursday, hundreds of journalists and supporters gathered outside the Post’s downtown office in protest, calling the cuts a blow to public-interest journalism.

Former executive editor Marty Baron described the moment as “among the darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organisations.”

Lewis defended his record in his farewell note, saying “difficult decisions” were taken to secure the paper’s long-term future and protect its ability to publish “high-quality nonpartisan news”. But his tenure coincided with growing scrutiny of editorial independence at the Post.

Owner Jeff Bezos faced criticism for reining in the paper’s traditionally liberal editorial page and blocking an endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris ahead of the 2024 US election. The move was widely seen as breaking the long-standing firewall between ownership and editorial decision-making.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, around 250,000 digital subscribers cancelled their subscriptions after the paper declined to endorse Harris. The Post reportedly lost about $100 million in 2024 as advertising and subscription revenues slid.

While the wider newspaper industry continues to battle declining print advertising and the pull of social media, some national titles have stabilised. Rivals such as The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times have managed to build sustainable digital businesses, a turnaround that has so far eluded the Post despite its billionaire backing.

As Jeff D’Onofrio steps into the role, the challenge is stark, restore confidence inside the newsroom, win back readers who walked away, and prove that one of America’s most storied newspapers can still find its footing in a brutally competitive media landscape.