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Tag: Akshay Gurnani

  • Mathemedia: Shripad Kulkarni launches podcast for media’s next era

    Mathemedia: Shripad Kulkarni launches podcast for media’s next era

    MUMBAI:  Shripad Kulkarni, veteran media maven and former ceo of Vizeum, is launching MatheMedia, a first-of-its-kind podcast that promises to crack the code of India’s fast-changing media landscape.

    Streaming from 1 September 2025, the long-format series blends a CMO briefing with a masterclass, featuring over 25 industry heavyweights from advertising, tech, publishing, and brand leadership. The opening episode, aptly titled ‘The New Media Code’, will bring together voices such as L.V. Krishnan (TAM Media Research), Puneet Avasthi (Kantar), and Ajay Gupte (WPP Media) to decode the seismic shifts shaking the industry.

    “We live in a world of channel chaos, with more platforms and fragmented audiences than ever before,” said MatheMedia, founder, Shripad Kulkarni. “Gone are the days when we could think & work linear & measure with a linear mindset. Today’s marketer faces multiple challenges. With more category entry points, brand assets & personalised messaging needs, brand strategy is being redefined. Brand custodians face growing pressure from a crowded network of channels and partners. It’s time for new rules in strategy, media, measurement, and collaborations.”

    The podcast’s 12-episode debut season will tackle hot-button issues: the rise of AI in advertising, quick commerce, evolving consumer journeys, and the urgent need for unified, privacy-compliant measurement systems. Expect candid debates, sharp insights, and a dash of storytelling to simplify complex industry jargons.

    Guests lined up include Schbang’s Akshay Gurnani, Google India’s Priya Choudhary, Dentsu Creative Isobar’s Sahil Shah, and India Today’s Vivek Malhotra, to name just a few. Think of it as a roundtable where India’s top media minds redraw the playbook for marketers navigating chaos.

    Kulkarni, who has advised marquee brands from Fevicol and BMW to Airbnb and Yes Bank, brings his three-decade expertise and signature wit to the mic. His goal is to help professionals not just adapt to disruption, but shape it.

    Episodes will drop every Monday across Spotify, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram. So, whether you’re a CMO, a curious marketer, or just wondering why your ads keep following you around the internet, MatheMedia might just be the formula you need.

     

  • Akshay Gurnani steps down as Schbang CEO, gears up for next big leap

    Akshay Gurnani steps down as Schbang CEO, gears up for next big leap

    MUMBAI: For most, Mondays mean emails, meetings, and caffeine-fuelled survival. But for Akshay Gurnani, this Monday was different-it marked the end of a decade-long journey as co-founder & CEO of Schbang and the beginning of a brand-new adventure.

    “Ten years. A whole decade. A long time, yet in the larger picture of life, just a small fraction,” reflects Gurnani. “And yet, these 10 years have been nothing short of transformative.”

    Gurnani co-founded Schbang at just 25 years old, fuelled by the ambition to build something from the ground up. Along with his fellow co-founders, he set out to redefine the marketing landscape and provide cutting-edge solutions to clients. Under his leadership, Schbang scaled to a 1,100+ member team across Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, London, and Amsterdam, servicing over 200 brands globally. His relentless commitment propelled the agency to become one of the most sought-after creative powerhouses in the industry.

    From the boardroom to the brainstorming room, Gurnani’s leadership has been marked by resilience, innovation, and the sheer audacity to push creative boundaries. Schbang executed award-winning campaigns for Pidilite, Perfetti, Godrej Consumer Products, Tata Consumer, L’Oréal Group, Finolex Pipes, Ashok Leyland, Crompton, Castrol, Baskin Robbins, Philips, and more. Beyond building a successful agency, he fostered a community—mentors, teammates, industry peers, and clients who became friends.

    “More than anything, Schbang has been about the people, the culture. The teammates who turned into family. The mentors I looked up to. The clients who became partners (many now good friends) and believed in us. Each one of you has left a mark, and for that, I am eternally grateful.”

    While one chapter closes, another unfolds. Gurnani isn’t slowing down—he’s simply switching lanes. His next phase will focus on business transformation, mentoring startups, investing in game-changing ideas, and empowering young students. He aims to help brands and agencies on a hyper-growth trajectory in India and the UAE, leveraging his expertise in digital marketing, AI, media, and technology.

    “As business landscapes evolve and consumer behaviours shift, client needs are changing rapidly. My focus is on eliminating redundancies and prioritising services that deliver business value,” he shares. “Digital transformation isn’t just about technology—it requires a deep understanding of a client’s business and a partnership-driven approach to drive meaningful change.”

    Having worked with Fortune 500 brands, Gurnani has developed a keen eye for identifying inflection points where inefficiencies arise. His goal is to go beyond vanity metrics, dive deeper into digital transformation, and help brands achieve sharper outcomes powered by the right human resources, media, and technology.

    During his time at Schbang, Gurnani was also recognised with numerous 30 Under 30 awards and named among India’s Top 50 Content Marketing Professionals.

    “It’s not a goodbye, it’s just a shift in gears because if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last 10 years, it’s that new ideas, new journeys, and new beginnings are always around the corner.”

    Schbang may have started as a bold idea, but its legacy continues. And so does Gurnani’s next great adventure.

  • Viber India to help young footballers

    Viber India to help young footballers

    MUMBAI: With FIFA fever gripping the world, Viber India has initiated a corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity to support a home grown football team. 

    Every conversation made through Viber India contributes to the campaign titled ‘Vibe The Goal’ that will support the girls of the YUWA football team in Jharkand.

    Founded in 2009, Yuwa is a girls’ football programs in India, with 250 players. The Yuwa Foundation uses football as a platform to combat child marriage and human trafficking in the poorest of communities in Jharkhand.

    Through this activity Viber is giving its users a change to be a part of a movement to ensure there are football equipments and education facilities for these girls who have succeeded at the national and international levels.

    The campaign is conceptualised and executed by FoxyMoron.

    “Viber India aimed to engage with their target audience interested in football. The idea is to leverage the football madness that has taken over everyone. With India nowhere close to participating in the World Cup, it only seemed fitting to have the youth identify with an Indian team through an emotional yet inspiring message,” said FoxyMoron business head – north Akshay Gurnani.

    The inspiring story of girls of the YUWA football is encapsulated in a short digital film. The campaign was launched on 17 June. The film has received over 2.9 Lakh views., so far.

    Click here to watch the film:

    The campaigned has garnered 18.6 million impressions on Twitter with 24,300 tweets generated in support of the #VibeTheGoal initiative and close to 9.5 lakh fans have engaged on Facebook.

    “Viber is proud to partner with YUWA team. Through our association with YUWA we are aiming to generate maximum awareness about the NGO which has championed the social cause of combating issues such as child marriage and human trafficking in India. Everyone can be a part of the conversation on Viber to support the team. Every message exchanged on Viber will go a long way in contributing towards uplifting the social and economic conditions for these girls who have earned great reputation for India at national and international levels,” mentioned Viber country head Anubhav Nayyar.

    Through every conversation happening on Viber various monetary levels of contributions will be displayed on a meter on the campaign microsite which is also an aggregator of the support the girls are receiving.

    YUWA India founder Franz Gastler said, “Society teaches girls to fit in. Yuwa coaches girls to stand out.  In Jharkhand, 6 in 10 girls drop out of school and become child brides. Yuwa is using football and education to combat child marriage, illiteracy and human trafficking.  We are thrilled to join hands with Viber India to build support for Yuwa’s programs and a center of excellence to educate, nourish and sustain the girls of Yuwa.  Join the cause, make some noise.”

  • FoxyMoron is now in Delhi

    MUMBAI: Digital marketing firm FoxyMoron is growing by leaps and bounds as it announced the geographical expansion of its business in the national capital.

    Starting with a team of eight to ten people, the Delhi division will be headed by business head Akshay Gurnani, an export from the Mumbai office.

    The five year old agency already services clients like McVities in Delhi and is looking at partnering a couple more over the next month or so.

    “A major chunk of the out of Mumbai enquiries we get are from Delhi and so it just made sense to start an office there. Also, in a dynamic medium like digital, it is necessary to be present in the city as well. Since Delhi and Mumbai are our core business centres, we decided to we needed to fly to the capital,” explains FoxyMoron director – business development and innovations Pratik Gupta.

    Another reason for expanding geographically is to be able to handle competitor brands since the two teams (Mumbai and Delhi) will be working on separate projects.

    It‘s actually a kind of double whammy for the fast growing digital agency as it has moved into a new bigger office in Mumbai as well.

    So will we be seeing a lot of FoxyMoron offices sprouting across the country? “While we do service clients from all over India (Fosters in Bengaluru and ITC in Kolkata for instance), we intend to manage and service these clients from our hubs in Delhi and Mumbai. We would however like to grow our business offerings over the next 18 months and provides a wider plethora of services to our clients,” informs Gupta.

    Some of the verticals that the agency aims to explore over the next year and a half include production (since audio visual is becoming popular in the Indian digital space), activations in the digital medium and online PR.

    Considering the rapid spate of digital agency acquisitions that are taking place, one cannot help wonder if FoxyMoron is on the anvil“ for any such merger. While the agency has been approached by quite a few agency networks, it is yet to find the perfect match. “Let‘s just say we are at a stage where we have nothing to lose and are enjoying our stint. If someone comes along and makes an offer that lucrative and acceptable to our sensibilities, we might take it up. Till then, we‘re flying solo and loving it!” says a confident Gupta.