Tag: Jakarta

  • Samir Sagar joins TBWAIndia as senior VP

    Samir Sagar joins TBWAIndia as senior VP

    MUMBAI: Advertising veteran Samir Sagar has stepped into a new role as senior vice president at TBWAIndia, charting the next chapter of a career brewed in strategy, storytelling and brand wizardry.

    Before joining TBWA, Sagar helmed the business at Famous Innovations as Business Head, where he led integrated marketing and brand communication mandates for marquee clients. His longest stint, however, was at MullenLowe Lintas Group, where he spent seven years rising through the ranks from associate vice president to senior vice president, shaping campaigns across Mumbai and Bengaluru.

    Sagar’s early journey took him through McCann Erickson as brand leader and The Thinking Machine in Jakarta, where he worked as brand partner, experiences that helped sharpen his strategic lens and creative instincts.

    With this move, Sagar brings his trademark blend of insight, innovation and leadership to TBWA, an agency known for its “Disruption” philosophy. It’s a fitting match, one creative disruptor joining another.
     

  • Adman Chetan Shetty hops over to Publicis Groupe as managing director

    Adman Chetan Shetty hops over to Publicis Groupe as managing director

    JAKARTA: Chetan Shetty, a seasoned advertising executive, has switched allegiances from McCann Worldgroup to Publicis Groupe, taking up the role of managing director at the French advertising conglomerate’s Jakarta office in September.

    The move marks the end of Shetty’s five-and-a-half-year stint at McCann Worldgroup, where he served as managing director since March 2020. During the same period, he also held the managing director position at FCB Global, suggesting he juggled dual roles across the Interpublic group agencies.

    Before his McCann days, Shetty spent nearly two years as partner for content at WPP’s Wavemaker, following a substantial five-and-a-half-year tenure at FCB Global where he climbed from group account director to head of digital.

    His career portfolio reads like a who’s who of multinational brands. At FCB Global, Shetty orchestrated campaigns for Beiersdorf’s Nivea and Mondelez’s Oreo across southeast Asia, whilst winning new business from Unilever (Pepsodent, Zwitsal), Fonterra (Anlene, Anmum), and Standard Chartered Bank. His digital-led integrated campaigns earned him the Citra Pariwara Indonesia award for best digital campaign.

    Earlier in his career, Shetty cut his teeth at MEC (now part of GroupM) during the inaugural seasons of the Indian Premier League, managing Citibank’s sponsorship for the tournament’s first five editions. He also crafted partnerships for Mercedes-Benz, HDFC, and Colgate across television and digital platforms.

    The appointment signals Publicis Groupe’s continued push to strengthen its southeast Asian operations with experienced local talent who understand both global brand strategies and regional market dynamics.

  • Digital media veteran climbs WPP ladder in Indonesia’s booming ad market

    Digital media veteran climbs WPP ladder in Indonesia’s booming ad market

    JAKARTA: WPP Media has promoted Mohit Sharma to president of client solutions, elevating a digital media specialist who has spent nearly three years navigating Indonesia’s rapidly evolving advertising landscape.

    Sharma’s ascent reflects the growing strategic importance of southeast Asia’s largest economy for global advertising conglomerates. Indonesia’s digital advertising market has exploded in recent years, driven by rising smartphone penetration and the dominance of platforms like TikTok and Instagram among the country’s 270m inhabitants.

    Since joining WPP Media in October 2022, Sharma has led the Beauty Tech Labs unit, overseeing a 120-person team delivering integrated media solutions spanning traditional planning, performance marketing, e-commerce and influencer communications. His primary client has been L’Oréal, the French cosmetics giant that has made Indonesia a key battleground in its Asian expansion strategy.

    The appointment caps a career trajectory that mirrors Indonesia’s digital transformation. Sharma spent nearly eight years at MEC (now part of GroupM) in India before moving to Essence and then MediaCom, where he served as partner and head of digital and e-commerce for the Indonesian operation.

    His promotion comes as western advertising agencies grapple with shifting client demands and the rise of local competitors across southeast Asia. Traditional agencies have struggled to adapt to the region’s unique social commerce ecosystems, where platforms like Shopee and TikTok Shop blur the lines between entertainment, social networking and retail.

    Sharma’s expertise in e-commerce integration may prove crucial as brands increasingly demand seamless pathways from awareness to purchase. Indonesia’s social commerce market is projected to reach $43 billion by 2025, according to consulting firm Bain & Company, making it a critical testing ground for advertising strategies.

    The move also signals WPP’s confidence in its Indonesian operations at a time when many multinational corporations are reassessing their Southeast Asian strategies amid economic uncertainties and regulatory changes. Indonesia’s advertising market, worth approximately $4.2 billion annually, remains one of the region’s most attractive despite periodic challenges from currency volatility and political shifts.

    For Sharma, the promotion represents validation of a bet on Indonesia’s long-term growth potential. His focus on data-driven strategies and digital-first approaches has aligned with local market dynamics, where mobile-first consumers have largely bypassed traditional desktop experiences.

    Whether his success can be replicated across WPP’s broader southeast Asian operations remains to be seen. The region’s fragmented markets, diverse regulatory environments and varying levels of digital maturity present ongoing challenges for global agencies seeking scalable solutions.

    Yet Indonesia’s importance to WPP’s Asian growth strategy seems assured. With the country’s advertising market expected to grow by 8-10 per cent annually over the next three years, elevating local expertise makes strategic sense—even if it means promoting from within rather than importing talent from established markets.

  • APOS 2025: Banijay Asia and its grow-grow urge

    APOS 2025: Banijay Asia and its grow-grow urge

    BALI: Banijay Asia, the formidable content producer, is strategically expanding its reach into Southeast Asia, with a sharp focus on Indonesia and a ground breaking reality series that will propel contestants into space, according to a report in Variety. Group chief executive Deepak Dhar, speaking at the APOS conference, revealed the company has “already locked a couple of deals in Jakarta” for both scripted and unscripted ventures.

    This expansion includes an enhanced version of Banijay Asia’s previously announced cross-border reality show, which initially sought one Indian participant but will now search for “one Indian and finding one Indonesian who we can send to space in a Blue Origin rocket.”

    The move comes as Banijay Asia continues to scale its substantial operations in India, a market with a “voracious content appetite,” according to Dhar. He noted the company produces “800 days of Big Boss [the local version of Celebrity Big Brother] in our calendar year of 365 days,” highlighting the sheer volume of content generated.

    “The timing is right for us personally, because we’re happy in the position that we are at in India, and now we can focus our bandwidth into the rest of the region,” Dhar explained. “We are really doubling down on Indonesia and then subsequently in Thailand.”

    Banijay Asia has built a strong reputation for successfully localising international formats while also developing successful Indian originals. Its  adaptation of The Night Manager for the erstwhile Disney+ Hotstar garnered massive viewership, with a second season currently in production. The company also recently rebooted the long-running crime procedural CID, which delivered “massive strong results on Sony television” before its subsequent windowing to Netflix.

    Dhar articulated the company’s broader regional ambition: “It’s really time that an Indian story catches the fancy and attention of global audiences as well. So that’s really something that we’re excited and working towards.”

  • Mashal Sports initiative #RaidForGold to support Indian Kabaddi team

    Mashal Sports initiative #RaidForGold to support Indian Kabaddi team

    MUMBAI: The Indian kabaddi team is ready with all guns firing for the 18th Asian Games Jakarta in August 2018. Team India asserted its supremacy in the recently concluded Kabaddi Masters Dubai 2018. To support the squad, Mashal Sports, the rights owner and organiser of the VIVO Pro Kabaddi League, has started an initiative #RaidForGold and aims to reach out to children from 2000+ schools across 19 cities in India.

    The team is gearing up for its eighth consecutive gold in the men’s kabaddi tournament and third consecutive gold in the women’s kabaddi tournament. In keeping with the ever-growing popularity of the sport, Mashal Sports with the support of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI), launched the initiative that reaches out across the country to give Indians the opportunity to rally behind and express their support for the national kabaddi team.

    ‘Raid for Gold’ commencing on 9 July 2018, will represent the ‘Voice of a Million Fans’ for the Indian national kabaddi team to achieve the highest glory yet again for India’s own sport. Alongside signing up digitally to pledge their support, students will also get an opportunity to interact with renowned kabaddi stars like Ajay Thakur, Rishank Devadiga, Rahul Chaudhari, Deepak Hooda and Rohit Kumar as they visit schools across the country as a part of the initiative.

    The campaign gives fans an opportunity to pledge their support to the team by signing up on https://www.raidforgold.in/. 

    Kabaddi was included as a discipline in the 11th Asian Games Beijing 1990, where India’s only gold medal was through the sport. Since then, the kabaddi team has been the pride of India in all editions of the Asian Games.

  • ADFEST 2016 confirms 57 jurors from 18 cities

    ADFEST 2016 confirms 57 jurors from 18 cities

    MUMBAI:  ADFEST has announced that some of the world’s most celebrated creative professionals will be joining ADFEST 2016 as jurors including 57 professionals from 18 cities: Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Beirut, Colombo, Dubai, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Melbourne, Mumbai, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei and Tokyo.

    Introducing the jury panel for Film & Radio Lotus:
    •         Ben Welsh, Creative Chairman, Asia, M&C Saatchi, Sydney (Jury President)
    •         Erick Rosa, Executive Creative Director, MullenLowe Singapore, Singapore
    •         Jennifer Hu, Chief Creative officer, Ogilvy & Mather Taiwan, Taipei
    •         Joo Yu Kyung, Creative Director, Innocean Worldwide, Seoul
    •         Malek Ghorayeb, Regional Executive Creative Director, Leo Burnett MENA, Beirut
    •         Santi Suwanvalaikorn, Founder & Executive Creative Director, Youngsanti, Bangkok
    •         Yoshimitsu Sawamoto, Executive Creative Director, Dentsu Inc., Tokyo
    The jury panel for Design Lotus & Print Craft Lotus:                                                                
    •         Yoshihiro Yagi, Creative Director, Dentsu Inc., Tokyo (Jury President)
    •         Chutivat Cherdchoo, Executive Creative Director, Visionary Group, Bangkok
    •         Guy Venables, Founder, GUY>ENABLES, Sydney
    •         Ivan Hadywibowo, Chief Creative Officer, J. Walter Thompson, Jakarta
    •         Sanket Pathare, Senior Creative Director, McCann Erickson India, Mumbai
    •         Sing Lin, Creative Director & Partner, BeWater, Shanghai
    •         Trevor Kennedy, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett Solutions GROUP, Colombo
    The jury panel for Media Lotus, Branded Entertainment Lotus & Content Lotus:          
    •         Josy Paul, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, BBDO India, Mumbai (Jury President)
    •         Darren Watson, Executive Creative Director – APAC, FITCH, Singapore
    •         Evan Teng, Managing Director, J. Walter Thompson Taiwan, Taipei
    •         Georg Warga, Creative Director, Filmmaker & Founder, GOODSTEIN, Shanghai
    •         Patrick Baron, Executive Creative Director, McCann Melbourne, Melbourne
    •         Sarnchatt Chansrakao, Managing Director, Dentsu Media Thailand, Bangkok
    •         Sokichi Nakazawa, Executive Manager of Data Driven Media Marketing Center, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners Inc., Tokyo
    The jury panel for Promo Lotus and Effective Lotus:          
    •         Chris Chiu, Singapore (Jury President)
    •         Anu Joseph, Executive Creative Director, Creativeland Asia Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai
    •         Dani Richa, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, BBDO MENA, Pakistan & Africa, Dubai
    •         Eric Cruz, Executive Creative Director, AKQA Shanghai, Shanghai
    •         Jeff Ma, Marketing Vice President, Greater China, The Woolmark Company, Shanghai
    •         Joyce Deng, Marketing Vice President, Yintai Yushen Business Management Co., Ltd., Beijing
    •         Tara Ford, Creative Director, WhybinTBWA Group, Melbourne
    The jury panel for Integrated Lotus, INNOVA Lotus and Lotus Roots:          
    •         Jeremy Craigen, Global Chief Creative Officer, Innocean Worldwide, Seoul ( Jury President)
    •         Ben Welsh, Creative Chairman, Asia, M&C Saatchi, Sydney
    •         Chee Keong (CK) Tan, Group Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur
    •         Chris Chiu, Singapore
    •         Josy Paul, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, BBDO India, Mumbai
    •         Richard Yu, Chief Creative Officer & China Network Creative Consultant, ADK Taiwan, Taipei
    •         Sihabutr Xoomsai, Film Director, Triton Film, Bangkok
    •         Valerie Cheng, Head of Creative Shop, Southeast Asia, Facebook, Singapore
    •         Yoshihiro Yagi, Creative Director, Dentsu Inc., Tokyo

    “Our jurors arrived in Thailand yesterday to begin debating this year’s entries. It is now their responsibility to choose the work that is driving our industry forward, we’d like to thank them for the hard work they will perform over the next few days,” says ADFEST president Jimmy Lam.
    ADFEST 2016 will run from 16th to 19th March at the Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Pattaya, Thailand.

  • ADFEST 2016 confirms 57 jurors from 18 cities

    ADFEST 2016 confirms 57 jurors from 18 cities

    MUMBAI:  ADFEST has announced that some of the world’s most celebrated creative professionals will be joining ADFEST 2016 as jurors including 57 professionals from 18 cities: Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Beirut, Colombo, Dubai, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Melbourne, Mumbai, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei and Tokyo.

    Introducing the jury panel for Film & Radio Lotus:
    •         Ben Welsh, Creative Chairman, Asia, M&C Saatchi, Sydney (Jury President)
    •         Erick Rosa, Executive Creative Director, MullenLowe Singapore, Singapore
    •         Jennifer Hu, Chief Creative officer, Ogilvy & Mather Taiwan, Taipei
    •         Joo Yu Kyung, Creative Director, Innocean Worldwide, Seoul
    •         Malek Ghorayeb, Regional Executive Creative Director, Leo Burnett MENA, Beirut
    •         Santi Suwanvalaikorn, Founder & Executive Creative Director, Youngsanti, Bangkok
    •         Yoshimitsu Sawamoto, Executive Creative Director, Dentsu Inc., Tokyo
    The jury panel for Design Lotus & Print Craft Lotus:                                                                
    •         Yoshihiro Yagi, Creative Director, Dentsu Inc., Tokyo (Jury President)
    •         Chutivat Cherdchoo, Executive Creative Director, Visionary Group, Bangkok
    •         Guy Venables, Founder, GUY>ENABLES, Sydney
    •         Ivan Hadywibowo, Chief Creative Officer, J. Walter Thompson, Jakarta
    •         Sanket Pathare, Senior Creative Director, McCann Erickson India, Mumbai
    •         Sing Lin, Creative Director & Partner, BeWater, Shanghai
    •         Trevor Kennedy, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett Solutions GROUP, Colombo
    The jury panel for Media Lotus, Branded Entertainment Lotus & Content Lotus:          
    •         Josy Paul, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, BBDO India, Mumbai (Jury President)
    •         Darren Watson, Executive Creative Director – APAC, FITCH, Singapore
    •         Evan Teng, Managing Director, J. Walter Thompson Taiwan, Taipei
    •         Georg Warga, Creative Director, Filmmaker & Founder, GOODSTEIN, Shanghai
    •         Patrick Baron, Executive Creative Director, McCann Melbourne, Melbourne
    •         Sarnchatt Chansrakao, Managing Director, Dentsu Media Thailand, Bangkok
    •         Sokichi Nakazawa, Executive Manager of Data Driven Media Marketing Center, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners Inc., Tokyo
    The jury panel for Promo Lotus and Effective Lotus:          
    •         Chris Chiu, Singapore (Jury President)
    •         Anu Joseph, Executive Creative Director, Creativeland Asia Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai
    •         Dani Richa, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, BBDO MENA, Pakistan & Africa, Dubai
    •         Eric Cruz, Executive Creative Director, AKQA Shanghai, Shanghai
    •         Jeff Ma, Marketing Vice President, Greater China, The Woolmark Company, Shanghai
    •         Joyce Deng, Marketing Vice President, Yintai Yushen Business Management Co., Ltd., Beijing
    •         Tara Ford, Creative Director, WhybinTBWA Group, Melbourne
    The jury panel for Integrated Lotus, INNOVA Lotus and Lotus Roots:          
    •         Jeremy Craigen, Global Chief Creative Officer, Innocean Worldwide, Seoul ( Jury President)
    •         Ben Welsh, Creative Chairman, Asia, M&C Saatchi, Sydney
    •         Chee Keong (CK) Tan, Group Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur
    •         Chris Chiu, Singapore
    •         Josy Paul, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, BBDO India, Mumbai
    •         Richard Yu, Chief Creative Officer & China Network Creative Consultant, ADK Taiwan, Taipei
    •         Sihabutr Xoomsai, Film Director, Triton Film, Bangkok
    •         Valerie Cheng, Head of Creative Shop, Southeast Asia, Facebook, Singapore
    •         Yoshihiro Yagi, Creative Director, Dentsu Inc., Tokyo

    “Our jurors arrived in Thailand yesterday to begin debating this year’s entries. It is now their responsibility to choose the work that is driving our industry forward, we’d like to thank them for the hard work they will perform over the next few days,” says ADFEST president Jimmy Lam.
    ADFEST 2016 will run from 16th to 19th March at the Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Pattaya, Thailand.

  • Indonesia’s GPS to deliver 14 TV channels in APAC via AsiaSat 4

    Indonesia’s GPS to deliver 14 TV channels in APAC via AsiaSat 4

    MUMBAI: Indonesian system integrator for TV stations PT. Graha Pratama Sejahtera (GPS) has chosen Asia Satellite Telecommunications to launch a bouquet of 14 television channels on AsiaSat 4 at 122oE.

     

    The services, uplinked by GPS’s facilities in Jakarta, are distributed via AsiaSat 4 in C-band to satellite TV operators in Indonesia. With these new services, AsiaSat 4 has significantly expanded its television offerings to viewers across the country. These include general entertainment, news, music, lifestyle, wildlife, adventure and science programmes, broadcast in Indonesian, Hindi, English and Arabic languages.

     

    “We are excited that we have further expanded our transmission services to the broadcast community with AsiaSat’s excellent capacity. AsiaSat 4 is a high performance satellite with exceptionally high power and superior look angle. It is an ideal platform to support our country- wide television distribution services. We look forward to expanding our collaboration with AsiaSat in the future,” said PT. Graha Pratama Sejahtera director Liauw Ing Hauw.

     

    “We are pleased that PT. Graha Pratama Sejahtera chose AsiaSat as its prime satellite platform for television distribution services in Indonesia. This is an exciting development of AsiaSat 4’s service expansion for the TV sector in Asia. We will continue our efforts to grow the neighbourhood of AsiaSat 4, from digital TV to HD and Ultra-HD, to meet the growing demand for diverse and high quality television services in Asia,” added AsiaSat vice president, sales and business development Philip Balaam.

  • CNN scores with air travelers

    CNN scores with air travelers

    CNN International has another set of numbers to thump its chest about. The International Air Travelers survey (IATS Asia 7) – conducted by the European Data & Research Ltd (EDR) between March and April 2000 in the international departure/gate areas of ten major airports in Sydney, Melbourne, Manila, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Singapore and Taipei – has revealed that CNN reaches more than twice the number of international air travelers than its nearest rival the Beeb.

    The survey shows that CNNI reaches 37 per cent of international air travelers on a weekly basis as against BBC World’s 19 per cent and CNBC Asia’s 15.4 per cent. IATS Asia 7 also confirmed that CNN International reaches 50 per cent of all senior business executives surveyed, the CNN press release states.

    “This is a very positive result for CNN International. (It) endorse(s) our investment in regionalisation, which has meant a significant amount of extra spending to increase the localized content available to our viewers, ” says CNN International managing editor, Asia Pacific Bill Baggitt.

  • Harris Corporation strikes TV transmission and turnkey services deal with ANTV Indonesia

    Harris Corporation strikes TV transmission and turnkey services deal with ANTV Indonesia

    MUMBAI: Florida-headquartered Harris Broadcast Communications Division has announced that PT Marlin Trisiana has purchased a Harris TV transmission system that will provide over-the-air service to all of Indonesia on behalf of its customer, ANTV, a terrestrial TV network there.

    ANTV is a terrestrial TV station in Indonesia and a joint venture between PT. CMA Indonesia (80 per cent) and Star (20 per cent). First aired in Lampung Province in 1993, ANTV is now a national station with an 85 per cent audience reach in the country.

    Delivery of the $6.9 million system begins this month, with a planned launch in late October. Harris will provide analog transmitters and spare parts, along with turnkey services for commissioning the transmission sites. PT Marlin Trisiana, a broadcast systems integrator based in Jakarta, will deliver the Harris transmission equipment, supply tower and antenna systems and provide civil works.

    As per the official communique, Harris will deliver two 120 kW Sigma analog transmitters, one each to sites in Jakarta and Surabuya where the bulk of the station’s broadcast signals will originate. Eight sets of 20 kW and nine sets of 5 kW Atlas(TM) analogue transmitters will be delivered to other sites in the country.