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Tag: HiveMinds

  • Madison Avenue moment as Havas closes in on Sam Balsara’s empire

    Madison Avenue moment as Havas closes in on Sam Balsara’s empire

    MUMBAI: The curtain is about to rise on one of Indian advertising’s most dramatic acts. After months of speculation, the Havas–Madison deal has now reached the signing stage, with top industry sources confirming that the Rs 700-crore acquisition for a 70 per cent stake is nearly sealed. For Sam Balsara, the man who has kept Madison fiercely independent for over three decades, this could be the turning point of a storied career.

    Industry insiders said that while it is “not right to discuss valuations at this stage,” both sides have agreed on the major terms. “The banker involved has finalised all formalities and the deal is on the verge of completion. Most likely, by early 2026 after regulatory approvals, it will be announced,” one veteran leader said.

    If the deal closes, it will peg Madison’s valuation close to Rs 1,000 crore, nearly double the Rs 500 crore price Balsara once discussed with WPP in 2015 though far short of the lofty numbers once floated.

    The move is no surprise given Havas’s acquisitive streak in India. Led globally by Yannick Bolloré, the network has snapped up five to six agencies in the past eight years and continues to see consolidation as its playbook for India. Bolloré had said earlier this year that cultural unification and strategic partnerships would remain core to Havas’s growth.

    Securing Madison, one of India’s last great independents, would not only give Havas scale but also cement its presence in a fiercely competitive market.

    For Madison, the timing is crucial. Over the past year, it has lost marquee clients including Godrej Consumer Products, McDonald’s, Atomberg, and Raymond, while Marico currently reviews its business. The losses have shaken confidence and intensified pressure on Balsara to secure a future-proof partner with technology, scale, and multinational backing.

    The agency has tried to respond. In August 2025, Madison brought back Ajit Varghese as partner and group CEO of Media and OOH with an equity stake marking his return after senior stints at JioHotstar and WPP. Earlier in the year, Vivek Das, ex-Google India and Southeast Asia executive, joined as chief marketing officer. Madison also completed its 100 per cent acquisition of Hiveminds, the performance marketing specialist it first invested in back in 2017.

    These moves underscored an effort to rebuild digital muscle and shore up bargaining power ahead of negotiations.

    For Balsara, long hailed as Indian advertising’s last independent mogul, the Havas deal may feel bittersweet. But it also signals realism: independence has limits in a world where scale, data, and global platforms dictate the pace.

    As one industry insider put it: “This is not just a deal, it’s an inevitability. Madison’s survival now depends on becoming part of something bigger.”

    If signed, the Havas–Madison marriage would go down as one of Indian advertising’s most significant consolidations marking the end of an era for independents and the dawn of a new one where even icons like Madison must reinvent themselves to stay in the game.

    Because in today’s ad world, survival isn’t about who shouts the loudest, it’s about who scales the fastest.
     

  • Hiveminds packs a punch with Samsonite’s e-commerce growth strategy

    Hiveminds packs a punch with Samsonite’s e-commerce growth strategy

    MUMBAI: Samsonite India is zipping up its digital strategy with Hiveminds, a Madison World unit, securing the e-commerce marketing and retail media mandate for the premium luggage giant. Following a competitive multi-agency pitch, Hiveminds will spearhead Samsonite’s online acceleration across platforms like Amazon and Flipkart, ensuring high visibility, optimised media spends, and strong conversion rates.

    Commenting on the collaboration, Hiveminds chief strategy officer Deepti Bhadauria said, “E-commerce platforms are becoming the primary search and buy platforms for affluent Indians. By leveraging platform expertise and data-driven insights, we will deliver high scale and good efficiency to Samsonite brands. We are thrilled to be partnering with a marquee brand and a dynamic marketing team at Samsonite.”

    Samsonite India head of e-commerce & distribution Abhinaw Sinha added, “Samsonite is a well-established brand in retail and with a rise in digital-first shopping behaviors, we are committed to strengthening our e-commerce presence and maintaining our leadership in the Indian market. Hiveminds’s deep expertise in e-commerce marketing makes them the ideal partner to accelerate our online business and engage with the growing base of digital-savvy e-com shoppers effectively.”

    This collaboration marks a strategic move for Samsonite, strengthening its dominance in the travel gear space while catering to the surge in digital-first shopping. With Hiveminds at the helm, Samsonite’s journey through India’s e-commerce landscape is set for a smooth take-off.

  • HiveMinds welcomes Pradeep Saluja as chief operating officer

    HiveMinds welcomes Pradeep Saluja as chief operating officer

    Mumbai: HiveMinds, a digital marketing company and part of the Madison Group, is delighted to announce the appointment of Pradeep Saluja as chief operating officer. Pradeep is a seasoned professional with over two decades of experience leading business strategy, operations management, and consulting across multiple industries. As the COO, he will oversee the P&L and growth of the business and be responsible for the organisation’s overall operations.

    Pradeep has held senior positions in several leading firms, from one of the founding members of the India business at Encore Capital Group to leading firms where he has delivered sustainable growth for clients worldwide. Prior to joining HiveMinds, he served as vice president at Sprinklr, where he successfully led customer success for key accounts globally. Before this, Pradeep was with Mu-Sigma, managing the P&L of a business unit with a portfolio of Fortune 500 companies. His career began at Caterpillar, where he led West and South East India’s dealer development and customer success teams. He was also part of the management consulting practice at KPMG. Pradeep graduated from the National Institute of Technology Allahabad and is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore.

    HiveMinds COO Pradeep Saluja shared, “HiveMinds has established itself as a leading player in the Digital Marketing space. The leadership’s unwavering focus on delivering value to clients and fostering an employee-centric culture echoed well with my values. I am excited to join HiveMinds and look forward to working closely with our highly energetic and capable teams to deliver sustainable growth and impact to our clients.”

    HiveMinds CEO and founder Jyothirmayee JT commented, “We are delighted to welcome Pradeep to HiveMinds. His extensive experience and proven leadership, especially in digital transformation and operations, align perfectly with our vision for the future as we expand and evolve in the digital marketing landscape. His appointment marks a significant milestone in our journey, and I eagerly anticipate the innovative solutions and lasting partnerships that will undoubtedly flourish under his leadership.”

  • HiveMinds appoints Srinath Kotamaraju as regional director-South

    HiveMinds appoints Srinath Kotamaraju as regional director-South

    Mumbai: HiveMinds, India’s premier digital marketing agency, part of Madison group, is pleased to announce the appointment of Srinath Kotamaraju as Regional Director, South. An accomplished professional with over two decades of experience driving growth and digital transformation, Srinath brings a wealth of expertise in brand marketing, leadership, client management, and process optimization. Srinath will lead delivery excellence and existing business growth for the south-based clients.

    Before joining HiveMinds, Srinath was the managing director at Reprise Digital, Indonesia. Before that, he served at Interactive Avenues for nearly a decade, steering large clients and building teams. He has also held business roles at Mindshare, Yahoo India, De Beers and Times of India.

    What further drew Srinath to the company was HiveMinds’ unwavering commitment to both people and performance. He states, “HiveMinds’ dedication to fostering a culture where excellence thrives alongside employee well-being resonated deeply with my values. This synergy was the driving force behind my decision to join this dynamic team at HiveMinds. I am eager to start my journey with talented teams to deliver impactful solutions for our clients.”

    HiveMinds CEO and founder Jyothirmayee JT comments, “Srinath’s experience in handling integrated accounts and his passion for organisation building make him a valuable addition to our leadership team. His interest in delivering business impact with a deep understanding of the medley across content, communication and media will contribute to HiveMinds’ continued upward trajectory.”

    Madison World chairman Sam Balsara commented, “HiveMinds is growing both in size and stature with clients. In this stage of our journey, we need leaders like Srinath to enhance delivery excellence further. With his experience in client management and business growth, I am sure he will add much value to our clients in South India”. 

  • HiveMinds appoints Neha Pandey as VP-growth

    HiveMinds appoints Neha Pandey as VP-growth

    Mumbai: HiveMinds, a forefront digital marketing agency, part of the Madison Group, announces the appointment of Neha Pandey as vice president – growth. Neha, a seasoned strategist in media and telecom, arrives with an impressive résumé of over a decade in nurturing strategic partnerships and scripting success narratives. Her role at HiveMinds is set to be the business expansion in India, UAE, and the USA.

    With a professional journey spanning 13 years across pivotal sectors like mobile, e-commerce, telecom, and the internet, Neha Pandey is a veteran in strategic alliances, business development, marketing, account management, and team leadership. Her tenure as business head at AdLift India and business partner – corporate at BIG FM is marked by significant achievements in client consultancy, sales strategy, and business planning.

    Expressing her vision on joining HiveMinds, Neha remarked, “HiveMinds’ swift ascent as one of the top digital marketing agencies in India along with its visionary leadership drew me to this role. I am happy to be part of this vibrant team. I think I have joined at a great time when my expertise and aspirations are in line with the HiveMinds growth plans and I look forward to delivering robust growth in the years to come”.

    HiveMinds chief strategy officer Deepti Bhadauria commented, “Neha Pandey’s inclusion in our leadership cadre is an important initiative towards our growth. We have added some of the most prestigious brands in India to our client list, in the past few years. Now is the time to consolidate our position and focus on delivering the same expertise to international clients. We are sure Neha will lead this charter with aplomb and add to Hivemind’s success”.

  • HiveMinds wins the digital mandate for Wonderchef Home Appliances

    HiveMinds wins the digital mandate for Wonderchef Home Appliances

    Mumbai: Hiveminds Innovative Market Solutions, the digital and ecommerce specialist arm of Madison World, won the integrated digital mandate for Wonderchef Home Appliances. The account was won by the Agency after a multi-agency pitch involving several rounds of presentations and will be handled from its Mumbai office. As part of the mandate, HiveMinds will be responsible for the digital performance of owned assets and e-commerce marketplaces, social media management and search engine optimization (SEO).

    Founded by celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor and serial entrepreneur Ravi Saxena in 2013, Wonderchef is one of the most preferred brands in India for premium kitchen appliances and cookware. Their products are designed with an emphasis on quality, design, and innovation, often endorsed by Chef Sanjeev Kapoor himself.

    Wonderchef chief marketing officer Amit Tilekar commented on the association, “We’ve been on a growth trajectory over the last 3 years and this year, we’re targeting a 25-30% revenue growth, and digital success is pivotal for achieving it. Our customers are digital-first. Often, their entire user journey from search, comparison, review, and buying is initiated and completed online. Even for offline retail customers, digital holds a significant influence.

    We’ve seen HiveMinds’ work over the various rounds of pitches, and after evaluating their tech and team capability, we are sure that they are the right partner for growth at this stage of our journey”.

    HiveMinds chief client officer Saurabh Tyagi said, “We’re proud to have won the integrated digital marketing mandate for Wonderchef. They are a formidable brand in the fast-growing Kitchen & home appliances category. Most importantly, their digital-first approach gives us the opportunity to completely leverage the power of digital. With this mandate, we will be able to use digital content, social media engagement and sharply defined performance campaigns to deliver success to the brand”.

    HiveMinds is a Bengaluru-based full-service digital marketing company and consultancy with a specialization in performance marketing, display, e-commerce, and programmatic buying. They manage digital mandates for Dominos, MaxLife Insurance, BigBasket, CoinSwitch Kuber, and eCommerce mandates of brands like Crompton, P&G, Nivea, Saffola Honey, Sugar cosmetics, ITC Dermafique, Sonata watches, Stanley black & decker, etc. The company owns unique technology, tools, and data analytics methodologies that enable it to deliver outstanding results to its clients.

    HiveMinds is a part of Madison World, India’s largest homegrown communication agency group established in 1988. Madison World through its 11 units served last year, as many as 500 advertisers.

  • HiveMinds bags digital mandate for Flipkart Health+

    HiveMinds bags digital mandate for Flipkart Health+

    Mumbai: The digital mandate for Flipkart Health+ was awarded to the digital expert of Madison World’s innovative market solutions HiveMinds. After a multi-agency pitch that included multiple rounds of presentations, the account was awarded. HiveMinds will be in charge of achieving the digital performance goals using all the publisher networks and digital channels accessible under the new mandate.

    Flipkart Health+ is the healthcare foray of Flipkart, the Walmart group firm. In order to provide clients with simple and convenient access to high-quality, reasonably priced pharmaceuticals and healthcare products from independent sellers, the Flipkart Health+ App, a digital healthcare marketplace platform, was introduced on 6 April, 2022.

    Flipkart Health+ chief business officer Arvind Charanyan V commented, “Post Covid, there has been an increase in demand for healthcare and wellness products across the country, which is currently underserved especially in the remote areas. We want to leverage technology in a way that strengthens the healthcare ecosystem and enables it to serve customers better by making accessibility to healthcare simpler even for those residing in distant areas of the country and contributing towards a healthier India. Digital as a medium has the reach with the customers and we’ve carefully selected HiveMinds for the experience and expertise they bring to the table.”

    “We’re proud to be associating with Flipkart Health+ by winning this highly contested mandate. I am sure that with our experience with the digital healthcare ecosystem, we will be able to take the Flipkart Health+ message across the country,” said HiveMinds chief strategy officer Deepti Bhadauria.

  • HiveMinds bags digital marketing mandate for Kuvera

    HiveMinds bags digital marketing mandate for Kuvera

    Mumbai: HiveMinds Innovative Market Solutions, a unit of Madison World has won the digital marketing mandate for the investment platform Kuvera.

    HiveMinds also manages digital marketing duties for brands including Dominos, Max Life Insurance, BigBasket, CoinSwitch Kuber and e-commerce mandates for brands like Crompton, PG, Nivea, Sugar Cosmetics, ITC Dermafique and Stanley Black & Decker.

    Trusted by 1.3 million+ investors with over Rs 34,000 crore in assets; Kuvera enables investments, loans and remittances. It offers online personal finance services and has pioneered goal-based, direct plan mutual fund investment for Indians. It uses technology to help users make smart decisions and navigate the nuances of personal finance.

    Speaking about this partnership, Kuvera founder and CEO Gaurav Rastogi said, “At Kuvera we are creating a safe space to invest for every Indian. We believe that HiveMinds’ category understanding and strategy can really drive the next phase of our growth.”

    On winning the mandate HiveMinds founder and CEO Jyothirmayee JT commented, “Digital investment platforms are driving a sea change in the way Indians invest. Kuvera is riding this wave through product innovation, an agile platform and customer onboarding at scale. We’re happy to be associated with the team and look forward to creating new benchmarks in growth together.”

  • HiveMinds wins digital marketing mandate for Rupeek

    HiveMinds wins digital marketing mandate for Rupeek

    Mumbai: The digital specialist of Madison World, HiveMinds won the digital marketing mandate for the leading gold tech platform Rupeek. The agency won this mandate following a multi-agency pitch.

    Rupeek is an asset-backed digital lending platform founded by IIT Bombay alumnus Sumit Maniyar in 2015. Rupeek’s investors include Sequoia Capital, Accel Partners, Bertelsmann, GGV Capital, VEF, and Lightbox. They recently recorded an annual disbursement run rate (ARR) of $1 billion in December 2021 making them the first-ever asset-backed lending company to achieve this milestone in the fintech space. Currently, they serve over five lakh customers in over 55 cities across India.

    Speaking of this association, Rupeek spokesperson said, “Rupeek is the first brand that has digitized the entire process of obtaining secured credit against gold holdings, allowing users to get instant credit from the comfort of their homes. As we continue to grow and unlock gold backed credit for a billion Indians, digital marketing will play an important role in driving this momentum further via tech-led gold monetization (GoMon) in over 120 cities across the country. We are happy to partner with HiveMinds in this digital led growth.”

    Expressing her thoughts on this win, HiveMinds chief strategy officer Deepti Bhadauria commented, “Gold asset loan is a $2 trillion opportunity in India. There is a massive consumer segment looking for access to cheap capital and monetization of gold assets that can be unlocked using digital marketing effectively. I am happy that we will be partnering with Rupeek, in scaling and building India’s largest digital asset-backed fin-tech platform.”

  • HiveMinds bags digital mandate for Max Life Insurance

    HiveMinds bags digital mandate for Max Life Insurance

    Mumbai: HiveMinds Innovative Market Solutions, the digital specialist of Madison World has bagged the digital mandate to manage Max Life Insurance’s paid marketing portfolio. The account will be serviced by HiveMinds’ newly opened North branch.

    “We are proud of winning this highly contested mandate,” stated HiveMinds founder and CEO Jyothrimayee J T. “There is a massive transformation happening in the Insurance sector powered by digital expansion. Bringing the right digital integrations and innovation will be key to our success.”

    As per the agreement, HiveMinds will be responsible for carrying out digital marketing activities across all publishers and platforms for Max Life Insurance including Google, Facebook, Taboola, Outbrain amongst others. This will in turn enable new customer acquisition for Max Life Insurance, said the statement.

    “Today’s consumers are evolved and very digital-savvy, so the success of insurance companies is increasingly dependent upon their ability to innovate and engage with customers on digital platforms. We are pleased to partner with HiveMinds in the next phase of our digital growth,” said Max Life Insurance corporate VP (e-commerce and digital marketing) Aditya Satpute.

    “Max Life Insurance is one of those companies, that has the vision, the clarity of thought, and the right team to ride the digital wave in the country. We are confident that together we’ll create new benchmarks in digital marketing,” commented HiveMinds’ chief strategy officer Deepti Bhadauria.