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Tag: Anand Chakravarthy

  • Loyalty’s no longer blind: India’s marketers say it’s earned, not bought

    Loyalty’s no longer blind: India’s marketers say it’s earned, not bought

    MUMBAI: In a world of swipe-right consumption and split-second brand switches, loyalty is less about freebies and more about frictionless delivery. This was the consensus at Indiantelevision.com’s Media Investment Summit 2025 during panel six, ‘Decoding the Evolving Indian Consumer: What Drives Loyalty in 2025?’ Moderated by Omnicom Media Group India CGO Anand Chakravarthy, the session dissected how Indian consumers are thinking, buying and staying (or straying) from brands today.

    Featuring voices from pharma, beauty, wellness, QSR, BFSI, and heavy industry, the session proved that while brand allegiance may be waning, there’s a silver lining for those who can predict—and personalise—customer moments with precision.

    Mahuya Chaturvedi of Century Paper framed loyalty as a “contract between buyer and brand”, akin to dating in a pre-app era. “It used to be purer”, she quipped, “fewer choices, fewer distractions. Now the moment that contract’s terms aren’t met—customers walk”.

    She argued that brands must over-index on at least one pillar—price, performance, trust, or experience—to sustain recall. “In commoditised sectors like paper, scientific selling and product knowledge—not the product itself—drives repeat”, she noted.

    Sayantani Das of Jumboking Burgers traced loyalty’s new anatomy, “It used to be about NFM (Net Frequency and Monitored value); now it’s about emotional bandwidth and physical availability”. She shared that metro station outlets triggered repeat behaviour simply by being the default option. “Loyalty is no longer a campaign, it’s a commuter habit”, she said.

    For the healthcare crowd, loyalty isn’t convenience—it’s consequence. Pulak Sarmah of Sun Pharma stressed, “Consumers don’t obsess over brands like we do. They want reliable solutions. If Saridon says pain goes in five minutes, it better work in five”.

    Ritu Mittal of Bayer Consumer Health added, “People in pain don’t want to experiment. Trust runs through families. That’s loyalty you can’t buy—it’s earned over generations”.

    When discussing pharmacists’ roles in the ecosystem, she revealed how new launches like Saridon GO were backed by frontline chemist education. “Pharmacists aren’t just retailers—they’re trust brokers”, she said.

    Krithika Sriram of PLIX noted that loyalty no longer depends on product quality alone. “Those are hygiene factors now. If you’re not helping customers in their wider journey—through diet plans, coaching, or credible education—you’re just another supplement on a shelf”, she said.

    By offering custom meal plans alongside apple cider vinegar tablets, Plix increased stickiness without a discount in sight. “Transparency works”, she added. “We told consumers: nothing will change in seven days. Stick with us for 12 weeks—and it worked”.

    For Nishant Nayyar of Kaya, loyalty is about staying relevant—physically and emotionally. “We realised if you close a retail outlet, loyalty drops. We’ve learned to stay at a customer’s moment of truth for as long as possible”, he said.

    Kaya’s strategy involves using doctors as “influencers”, not celebrities. “Their authority on FDA-approved treatments becomes our marketing currency”, Nayyar explained. Kaya now releases digestible, science-backed video content to explain results without overwhelming jargon.

    Drawing from her past life in banking and insurance, panelist Anjali (ex-BFSI, currently at D2C firm Dana) recalled, “Customers hated that we only called them once a year—to sell a renewal”. Her team countered by building content-based engagement models to create consistent touchpoints throughout the year. “Loyalty in BFSI isn’t about points. It’s about not ghosting your customer”, she said.

    As the session closed, Chakravarthy prompted each panelist to finish the sentence: “In 2025, the future of loyalty lies with brands who…”

    Their answers said it all:

     .  “…stand for something and do more than transactional strategies” — Krithika Sriram

     .  “…solve real-life consumer problems and create moments of delight” — Nishant Nayyar

     . “…humanise science”— Ritu Mittal

     .  “…are radically transparent” — Sayantani Das

     .  “…are agile enough to evolve with each customer’s heartbeat” — Mahuya Chaturvedi

     .  “…offer extreme personalisation through AI” — Pulak Sarmah

    In short, loyalty isn’t dying—it’s diversifying. And in 2025, it seems you don’t own your customer. You earn them, repeatedly.

  • MICA and WebEngage introduces new course ‘Tech Tonic’

    MICA and WebEngage introduces new course ‘Tech Tonic’

    Mumbai: With brands shifting their focus to retaining existing customers instead of acquiring new ones, retention marketing and consumer tech has climbed up the priority list for marketers and media managers. Taking the digital leap, MICA Ahmedabad has introduced a course titled ‘Tech Tonic – Consumer Tech and Campaign Management’ that will equip students with key principles of Consumer Technology, Retention Marketing, and Campaign Management.

    To design and deliver this course, MICA’s Media Entertainment and Sports Management  Specialisation (MESM) Area has partnered with WebEngage, a leading MarTech platform and Retention Consultancy suite that simplifies user engagement at scale. Industry veterans will lead the eight-session intensive program which aims to bridge the gap between traditional marketing theory and the practical application of data analytics in today’s competitive consumer tech landscape.

    Speaking of the collaboration, MICA Dean Prof. Githa Heggde, said, “Today, data and technology is redefining consumer journeys and experiences. Hence, gaining a deeper understanding of the technologies that are reshaping and reconfiguring consumption experiences, costs and availability of data, analytics and business intelligence in media business becomes imperative. This collaboration with WebEngage acknowledges the growing need for academic programs that reflect the data-driven nature of modern marketing and will equip MESM area students with skills to tackle critical issues.”

    Spanning over five weeks, this course will help students delve into challenges faced by massive media platforms in India’s highly competitive market. They will gain deep insights exploring how such platforms analyse customer data, tackle user engagement, communicate effectively across channels, and ultimately acquire users and retain them in this dynamic environment.

    Delving into the course structure, MICA Prof. Santosh Patra and Prof. Anirudh Kalia, from the MESM area said, “Media, both as a vehicle and as businesses, have pivoted sharply from B2B to D2C under the waves of technology. This change makes it imperative for our media, entertainment and sports management specialisation students to learn data in all its nuances, building and managing consumer journeys and tools for engagement and retention. TechTonic – Consumer Tech & Campaign Mgmt is one such course that will equip them with both understanding and tools needed to navigate this better.”

    “The course curriculum will expose students with in-depth key marketing principles like data-driven campaign planning, customer segmentation, personalisation and hyper-personalisation and retail media measurement”, they added.

    WebEngage chief growth officer Ankur Gattani said, “This initiative aligns perfectly with WebEngage’s commitment to nurturing future-ready marketing, user engagement and retention professionals. There’s a great demand for talent in this space and I’m excited that MICA is giving the students a head-start into this subject – blending practical knowledge with their academic rigour.”

    The course will have experts including Omnicom Media Group chief media officer Rabe T Iyer, Ankur Gattani,  and Omnicom Media Group chief growth officer Anand Chakravarthy share their insights with our students.

  • Omnicom Media Group India appointed Anand Chakravarthy as its chief growth officer

    Omnicom Media Group India appointed Anand Chakravarthy as its chief growth officer

    Mumbai: Omnicom Media Group (OMG) India on Tuesday announced the on-boarding of Anand Chakravarthy as its new chief growth officer. Anand is set to use his strategic foresight and over two decades of rich industry experience to create new opportunities for growth and play an instrumental role in shaping OMG India’s future trajectory.

    He will report to Kartik Sharma, Group CEO of OMG India.

    With over 24 years of experience in marketing, advertising, media, and entrepreneurship and having worked with many reputable businesses, all of which witnessed exponential growth under his guidance, Anand has a deep well of knowledge to draw from. Prior to this, he has led many profitable businesses, including during his leadership stints at Essence Global, Wavemaker, and Reliance Broadcast Network.

    Anand’s strength lies in his ability to formulate crucial strategies that help businesses scale up and become sustainable in an extremely competitive market. Across his repertoire of experience, he has worked with global and Indian brands, including several leading D2C brands in India.

    Speaking of his appointment, Omnicom Media Group India CEO Kartik Sharma said, “I am delighted to welcome Anand on board. His extensive knowledge, values-based leadership style, and commitment to delivering results will undoubtedly be a great asset to our business going forward. His work speaks for itself and shows that he has the propensity to lead and help companies capitalise on new growth opportunities in an emerging market.”

    Anand Chakravarthy said, “I am thrilled to be a part of OMG India and get the opportunity to work with Kartik and his leadership team, for whom I have immense respect. OMG is recognised globally for its thought leadership and building future forward capabilities—a critical need in the industry today. Working in this ecosystem with this team and leveraging these capabilities to help brands evolve without any limitations is a fantastic opportunity. I look forward to fully committing to OMG’s vision and pushing the boundaries of innovation and growth.”

  • Results and Outcomes onboards Anand Chakravarthy as co-founder

    Results and Outcomes onboards Anand Chakravarthy as co-founder

    Mumbai: Newly formed ed-tech firm Results and Outcomes on Thursday announced Anand Chakravarthy as co-founder of the company. He will work alongside founder Tarun Katial to design and deliver upskilling courses focused on areas impacted by digital transformation, for working professionals, the company said in a statement.

    Anand is a digital marketing & business leader with more than two decades experience of working across brands and businesses. With his diverse set of skills, he will help scale up the offerings from the company and drive future growth, it added.

    Speaking about his new role, Anand said, “I am thrilled to be a part of this venture and glad to be doing this with Tarun. Having worked in the digital marketing ecosystem, the impact of digital disruption on businesses and people is very evident. Results & Outcomes is focused on building distinctive courses for specific cohorts of working professionals. Our focus is on offering them genuine upskilling programs, creating value for both associates and organizations alike. With an exciting portfolio of courses coming up, focused on the future of work, I am looking forward to this journey.”

    Tarun Katial commented, “Anand’s depth of experience and expertise across digital marketing and media will be very beneficial for Results and Outcome. His inclusion to the company will help us explore various avenues and build a distinctive EdTech platform, for working professionals across the industry.”

  • Wakefit.co Introduces the ‘BaaBaa’ of Sleep to Help Indians Rest Better

    Wakefit.co Introduces the ‘BaaBaa’ of Sleep to Help Indians Rest Better

    Bengaluru: If you know what BaaBaa knows you will sleep better! Have you ever counted sheep in a desperate attempt to fall asleep? Wakefit.co, India’s largest sleep solutions startup funded by Sequoia Capital, will tell you there are better ways to get that elusive beauty sleep. The three-year-old startup unveiled its new brand campaign, #KnowMoreSleepBetter, presenting the affable and all-knowing BaaBaa who will aim to bring the magical world of sleep into people’s consciousness.

    Want to get to know BaaBaa? Check these videos out!

    With India being deemed the second most sleep-deprived country by a global study and internal studies by Wakefit.co revealing that 1 in 5 Indians believe they have Insomnia, sleep-related disorders have become a pertinent lifestyle ailment. However, the focus on sleep health in India is still wanting. Wakefit, with its peppy new campaign, aims to add a dash of excitement and enthusiasm in the space by creating a dynamic world of sleep that helps people take actionable steps towards improving their sleep habits.

    Counting sheep to fall asleep has been a cultural reference for a long time. In its endeavor to get people to talk ‘sleep’, it was important for Wakefit to create a strong visual differentiator and depict it through a character that is quirky yet sophisticated and knowledgeable yet fun. ‘BaaBaa’, the sheep, was conceptualized to reflect Wakefit’s brand personality and is a personification of the brand’s values, expertise, and experience.

    The more you know, the better you sleep, goes the tagline of Wakefit.co’s three brand videos released today. Known for its innovative marketing campaigns – an earlier campaign called OneIndiaOneWakefit was nominated for the prestigious SABRE Awards – Wakefit.co’s brand videos aim to distill the complex science of sleep in short, digestible and witty content. In addition to unveiling BaaBaa, Wakefit has also incorporated subtle branding elements into its website design. For example, the color scheme on the website reflects the last color one sees when the lights are switched off at night, while the fonts resemble those in a fairytale storybook to bring back the nostalgia of peacefully going to bed as a child.

    Speaking on the launch of the new campaign, Chaitanya Ramalingegowda, Director and Co-founder, Wakefit.co, said, “The sleep industry in India is pegged at INR10,000 crore (growing to INR14,000 crore by 2021), yet there is little innovation in this space. We have witnessed disruption in the nutrition and exercise segments of wellness but sleep has so far been ignored due to the lack of visually appealing representation in the space. The idea of the campaign was to create a world around sleep that is inhabited by cool and likable characters who are eager to unravel the mysteries of sleep and present it in a simple and digestible form The campaign strongly aligns with our brand ethos of making great quality sleep accessible to people across India.”

    Vineet Gupta, Founding Partner, Spring Marketing Capital, shared his thoughts on collaborating with Wakefit as its brand partners, for this and future campaigns. He said, “Sleep is one of the most important factors impacting a person’s health, productivity and success. However, in today’s world, sleep is often de-prioritized, taken for granted and riddled with misconceptions. Wakefit was founded as a sleep solutions company and aims to bring sleep back into the consciousness and conversation of Indian consumers. We are thrilled to partner Wakefit in their journey of building a brand that is meaningful, fun and differentiated.”

    “Wakefit is a truly innovative brand that is disrupting the space of sleep solutions with its unique technology, service delivery, and product offerings. This product segment will never be the same again, with consumers being the ultimate winners. We are truly excited to partner with the team at Wakefit and bring our media, data and measurement capabilities to help build the brand and drive business.” said Anand Chakravarthy, Managing Director, Essence, who are partnering with Wakefit, as their integrated media agency.

    From offering 100-nights free trial to doorstep delivery to over 19,000 pin codes in India, the Bengaluru-based startup is on a mission to provide a good night’s sleep to every Indian, every night.

  • Shekhar Banerjee moves to Wavemaker India as managing partner

    Shekhar Banerjee moves to Wavemaker India as managing partner

    MUMBAI: Shekhar Banerjee, the erstwhile COO at Madison Media, has joined Wavemaker India as managing partner with immediate effect. 

    Banerjee will be filling the vacant chair of Anand Chakravarthy, who was appointed as the managing director of Essence India. 

    At Wavemaker, Banerjee will report to Wavemaker India MD Kartik Sharma. 

    Banerjee had joined Madison in 2004 as COO and handled key accounts such as Asian Paints, ITC and Marico. 

    Last year, GroupM Wakemaker was created from the merger of Maxus and MEC. The agency is number two in India in terms of size and has over 700 employees with a service portfolio of clients including FMCG giant ITC and L’Oréal.

    Also Read:

    WPP’s merged MEC and Maxus entity to be called Wavemaker

    GroupM’s Wavemaker launches India biz

    GroupM, Ogilvy launch Effectiveness Lab in India

    FTA GECs bring in revenue despite low ad rates

  • Essence hires Sonali Malaviya as VP – client partner

    Essence hires Sonali Malaviya as VP – client partner

    MUMBAI: Essence, a data-driven global agency and a part of GroupM, has announced the appointment of Sonali Malaviya as the vice president – client partner. She will be reporting to Anand Chakravarthy, managing director, Essence India and will lead the Google relationship, based in the Gurgaon office.

    With experience of more than 15 years, Malaviya is a seasoned marketing professional working with global brands and companies. Prior to Essence, she was the COO of Colorbar Cosmetics. She was also the India Country Marketing lead at Twitter and helped set up and navigate the company’s marketing offering to some of the biggest domestic and international brands in the market. Malaviya was also a principal partner at Mindshare Delhi and has done stints in leading media agencies and a research firm.

    “Sonali’s diverse experience and her width of exposure working on both the agency and the client side, makes her a real asset to have at Essence and the ideal choice to steward our longstanding relationship with Google. Bring onboard key leadership like Sonali is priority to Essence building a strong differentiated offering in India,” said Chakravarthy.

    Sonali Malaviya, Vice President, Essence India said, “I am excited to join the team at Essence in building an integrated, world class marketing product in India. As one of the few digitally led full service agencies, it gives us the opportunity to create breakthrough work for our clients, and I look forward working with this dynamic team of professionals.”

    As the agency continues to scale globally, India and APAC remain a key growth region due to Essence’s commitment to deliver its proposition to its existing client roster across greater geographies, and to support the abundance of new business activity. India, in particular, holds strong strategic importance given its status as a dominant and dynamic growth market within the region. 

    Also Read:

    Vice Media to build largest OTT platform, expand to 80 markets by early ’18

    Chanpreet Arora appointed CEO of Vice Media India

  • Maxus strengthens its top management

    Maxus strengthens its top management

    MUMBAI: Continuing its focus on product excellence and the need for continuous investments in people development, Maxus has elevated some of its key people and strengthened the top management.

     

    Maxus West head Anand Chakravarthy who joined last year has been promoted to managing partner. He will continue to be based at Mumbai, leading the West team and expansion plans.

     

    Maxus South Asia digital head Unny Radhakrishnan has been promoted as chief digital officer. In his new role, he will be additionally responsible for developing new practices and investments and new offerings from Maxus Metalworks (the creative R&D lab of Maxus).

     

    Maxus digital strategy head Vishal Jacob has been promoted as national director – digital.

    In his new role, he will take over from Radhakrishnan and be responsible for the digital services of Maxus across offices.

     

    Maxus West digital head Sairam Ranganathan has been promoted as general manager. Additionally, he will be also responsible for the digital media product and digital training needs.

     

    Maxus Delhi client leader Mimi Deb who joined three years ago has been elevated to general manager. She will lead several large new businesses like Shopclues and several other blue chip clients which the agency won recently.