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Tag: Jasmin Sohrabji

  • Regionally & globally, India is an essential market, says OMD APAC CEO Stephen Li

    Regionally & globally, India is an essential market, says OMD APAC CEO Stephen Li

    MUMBAI: In order to scale up its operations in India, Omnicom Media Group-owned agency OMD has entered in a partnership with DDB Mudra Group in India and brought a third brand titled ‘OMD MudraMax’ as an offering, by consolidating its media services business.

    The collaboration entails the rebranding of the existing media business of DDB — TV, print, radio, and cinema & digital — as OMD MudraMax. The consolidation of DDB MudraMax and OMD is effective since November 17.

    “This enables MudraMax to access the OMD Global Network for learning, development projects, strategic tools etc. It is a win-win and mutually beneficial collaboration for both, the Omnicom Media Group and the DDB Mudra Group. We have been working together over the last few months,” explained DDB Mudra Group Group CEO & managing director Madhukar Kamath.

    The new entity will function as an additional local brand in the OMD network with access to the network efficiency, learning and tools such as VISION (live operating system designed to drive business growth not just media results) of the OMD global network.

    “Both, regionally and globally – India is an essential market in every sense of that word, and one which is continuing to evolve and grow speedily. This partnership with DDB MudraMax will both add to our scale and further strengthen our presence,” shared OMD APAC CEO Stephen Li.

    Under the consolidation, OMD MudraMax will be headed by DDB Mudra Group executive director and DDB MudraMax president Sathyamurthy N P.

    “Apart from continuing to be being an integral part of the DDB Mudra Group and a key member of the Group Operating Board, Sathyamurthy Namakkal will now work closely with (Omnicom Media Group SEA and India CEO) Jasmin Sohrabji and be a part of her executive council too. I will give a lot of credit to Jasmin who saw great merit in this collaboration and worked hard to make OMD MudraMax happen,” Kamath shared.

    About servicing existing clients, Kamath assured that there will be no change in any of the operations as all three brands will function independently. “In DDB MudraMax, most of the key clients were briefed about this development by Sathyamurthy Namakkal. Given the value adds that accrue to them, our clients are looking forward to the roll-out and success of the enhanced offering,” he added.

    “DDB Mudra being a part of the Omnicom family is aligned to OMD’s culture which makes for a seamless transition,” Sohrabji said.

  • Regionally & globally, India is an essential market, says OMD APAC CEO Stephen Li

    Regionally & globally, India is an essential market, says OMD APAC CEO Stephen Li

    MUMBAI: In order to scale up its operations in India, Omnicom Media Group-owned agency OMD has entered in a partnership with DDB Mudra Group in India and brought a third brand titled ‘OMD MudraMax’ as an offering, by consolidating its media services business.

    The collaboration entails the rebranding of the existing media business of DDB — TV, print, radio, and cinema & digital — as OMD MudraMax. The consolidation of DDB MudraMax and OMD is effective since November 17.

    “This enables MudraMax to access the OMD Global Network for learning, development projects, strategic tools etc. It is a win-win and mutually beneficial collaboration for both, the Omnicom Media Group and the DDB Mudra Group. We have been working together over the last few months,” explained DDB Mudra Group Group CEO & managing director Madhukar Kamath.

    The new entity will function as an additional local brand in the OMD network with access to the network efficiency, learning and tools such as VISION (live operating system designed to drive business growth not just media results) of the OMD global network.

    “Both, regionally and globally – India is an essential market in every sense of that word, and one which is continuing to evolve and grow speedily. This partnership with DDB MudraMax will both add to our scale and further strengthen our presence,” shared OMD APAC CEO Stephen Li.

    Under the consolidation, OMD MudraMax will be headed by DDB Mudra Group executive director and DDB MudraMax president Sathyamurthy N P.

    “Apart from continuing to be being an integral part of the DDB Mudra Group and a key member of the Group Operating Board, Sathyamurthy Namakkal will now work closely with (Omnicom Media Group SEA and India CEO) Jasmin Sohrabji and be a part of her executive council too. I will give a lot of credit to Jasmin who saw great merit in this collaboration and worked hard to make OMD MudraMax happen,” Kamath shared.

    About servicing existing clients, Kamath assured that there will be no change in any of the operations as all three brands will function independently. “In DDB MudraMax, most of the key clients were briefed about this development by Sathyamurthy Namakkal. Given the value adds that accrue to them, our clients are looking forward to the roll-out and success of the enhanced offering,” he added.

    “DDB Mudra being a part of the Omnicom family is aligned to OMD’s culture which makes for a seamless transition,” Sohrabji said.

  • OMG India CEO Jasmin Sohrabji gets south east Asian responsibility

    OMG India CEO Jasmin Sohrabji gets south east Asian responsibility

    MUMBAI: An increasing number of Indian media professionals are being given more and more regional and global responsibility by large global advertising agency and media groups.

    Now joining the ranks of India-based Maxus Worldwide CEO Vikram Sakhuja, Aegis Group chairman India & CEO south east Asia Ashish Bhasin, is Omnicom Media Group (OMG) India CEO Jasmin Sohrabji. Following a recent restructuring in OMG in the Asia Pacific region, Sohrabji has been additionally made charge of the south-east Asian markets of Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand for OMD, PHD and M2M – brands OMG.

    A release issued by the group says that “the restructuring effort is to sharpen focus on the continued growth of the Asia Pacific region.”

    The new structure, which becomes effective 3 June, has two sub-regional assignments covering south east Asia and Greater China being added, in addition to Australia and New Zealand.

    Sohrabji has been given responsibility of India and south east Asia, OMG China CEO Doug Pearce has added Greater China responsibilities overseeing Hong Kong and Taiwan to his roster, while Leigh Terry will continue to lead OMG’s operation in Australia and New Zealand.

    In addition to that, OMG Asia Pac, has a new CEO Cheuk Chiang who is replacing outgoing CEO Barry Cupples (who has got a global position in OMG based out of London). Sohrabji along with Pearce and Terry will report to Chiang.

    Says Cupples: “Asia is vibrant and the lens of the world is on this region. The media and communications industry is being shaped by seismic shifts, and the south east Asia region is at the heart of many of these changes. OMG SEA and India has a strong and talented leader in Jasmin. She has a clear vision that will help in strengthening our eco-system. Jas has our complete faith and trust to be an even bigger star in the new role.”

    Adds Chiang: “Bolstering our regional management capacity with a new sub-regional structure reinforces our commitment to this region. Jasmin is an asset to the senior leadership team and I am confident that under her guidance and vision, our presence in South East Asia and India will get stronger.”

    Says Jas (as everyone in industry is prone to call her): “Setting up OMD India was a huge opportunity and which the India team is very proud of. I am looking forward to the additional responsibility and working closely with the south east Asian team to further strengthen the sub-region.”

    She adds: “All the Asian markets are at very different points in their growth story or their life cycle. There can’t be a one uniform strategy addressing everyone. The India story will be very different from a Vietnam or an Indonesia. Mine is a management role; it will be more collaborative with the other countries that come under me.”

  • OMD wins Snapdeal.com‘s media biz

    OMD wins Snapdeal.com‘s media biz

    MUMBAI: Daily deals website Snapdeal.com has appointed OMD as its media AoR.

    OMD managing director Jasmin Sohrabji confirmed the development to Indiantelevision.com.

    The account is estimated to be around Rs 250 million.

    The creative account of Snapdeal lies with DraftFCB Ulka.

    Snapdeal.com is using multiple television panels at electronic stores for mass visibility. The e-commerce company has recently launched an on-ground campaign that was conceptualised by Aurora Communications.

  • HTC appoints OMD India as AOR

    HTC appoints OMD India as AOR

    MUMBAI: Mobile handset manufacturer HTC India has appointed OMD India as its media Agency on Record (AOR).

    When contacted, OMD managing director Jasmin Sohrabji declined to comment. It is said that the agency has already begun work on the HTC business.

    The account size for HTC in 2011 is pegged in the vicinity of Rs 400-450 million. The account will be handled from OMD‘s Delhi operations.

    The multi-pitch saw the participation of leading media agencies.

  • ‘2009 was our defining year’ : OMD India managing director Jasmin Sohrabji

    ‘2009 was our defining year’ : OMD India managing director Jasmin Sohrabji

    It was in 2007, when global marketing communications holding company, Omnicom, entered India with its media planning and buying network OMD.

     

    Jasmin Sohrabji, a double post-graduate in Economics and Business Management who had spent 16 years with MediaCom, was taken on board as managing director and the agency went on to make a fortunate start with clients like Ambuja, Parle Agro and J&J in its kitty.

     

    2009 was almost a defining year for OMD as it took up quite a few biggies under its banner, expanded footprints to Delhi and Chennai and set up new offerings in analytics and digital.

     

    And now it’s kicked off 2010 on a high note too. It has bagged businesses like Sony Network, Ferrero and Reliance.

     

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Anindita Sarkar, OMD India managing director Jasmin Sohrabji speaks about her company’s growth plans at large.

    Excerpts:

    In comparison to the other agencies, OMD is still a new player in the Indian market. Has it been a tough journey so far?

     

    OMD launched in India in early 2007, and the experience has been exciting, challenging and gratifying ever since! We kicked off with a very sound base (Ambuja, Parle Agro and J&J) and have built consistently and successfully since. 2009 was OMD India’s defining year where we established ourselves as a strong, top player at a national level.

    Being a new entrant, was facing up with the slowdown heat in the Indian market more challenging to gain clients?

     

    We were very fortunate to have our best year in 2009. We had a record number of wins (HP, Henkel, VISA, Danone, Nissan, etc); we set up two new offices (Delhi, Chennai); we launched our Analytics and Digital offer and we closed the year with global awards and recognition.

    Can you revisit the time when you started off in the Indian market and the transitions that you witnessed through time?

     

    Gosh, I have spent two decades in this industry and witnessed too many changes and transitions! One of the most striking of all has been in the area of availability of research and access to data; technology…both in the medium itself as well as in accessing and interacting with media and consumers; the other noteworthy change has been the shift in the role and definition of what media agencies provided as a service…we moved from a very simple ‘planners and ops executives’ managing client budgets to a much evolved, technologically sophisticated and consumer-centric thinking and creative solutions.

    What has remained consistent through the decades is ‘never having enough talent’!

    How has the first half of the year fared for the OMD in terms of revenues and clientele?

     

    Very well. We kicked off 2010 with the Sony Network win, and followed up with Unilever’s digital biz. More recently we won Ferrero and Reliance, among others. We hope to maintain the growth momentum we have been experiencing through the remainder of 2010.

    Has it been better than last year?

     

    Given the operation is just over three years old, the growth over last year has been extremely high.

    How is dealing with the Indian clients different from the others globally?

     

    Clients differ depending on their needs and experiences with agencies; they differ in the level of interaction and involvement with their agency partners, and on many such and other parameters. However, I really do not have a strong point of view of difference between Indian and global clients. Among our global clients, we have some who operate largely within the local environment and strategic needs; and there are those who are very much aligned to global strategies and/or processes. In fact, we recently won an award (The Internationalist, UK) for best local execution of an international campaign…so it really does not matter how different the client style is, what’s important is whether the teams at OMD India have a keen appreciation for individual working styles and are able to deliver standout strategies and solutions to the briefs we are given.
    ‘We moved from a very simple ‘planners and ops executives’ managing client budgets to a much evolved, technologically sophisticated and consumer-centric thinking and creative solutions. What has remained consistent through the decades is never having enough talent!‘

    How are your other divisions of OMD faring?

     

    Our most successful offer outside traditional is digital. In addition to existing full service clients, we added digital only clients (Unilever, ICICI, HCL, etc). Additionally, we set up Analytics, which has now started gaining momentum. We have two new offerings starting up later this year.

    CPRP is often the final clincher for a pitch and the sole aim for all to target and deliver. Do you see any new change in this methodology?

     

    Not sure why we are focusing on a change in methodology…we should be looking at value adding to the metric with more engaging qualifiers. If the job of the metric is to compare cost to cost, CPRP does its job. If we are looking to add new dimensions of effectiveness to the cost of contact, then let us evaluate other metric options, not just methodology.

    While above 50 per cent of investments for brand building is made towards above-the-line activities, advertisers are also making investments in below-the-line activities. How do you perceive this medium?

     

    Below the line activities have always been a relevant part of the recommended mix. The issues around these activities were largely to do with measurement and scalability. What began as ad-hoc and experimental, has now become a critical piece in the communication mix. One is, and will continue to see a lot more action in this space. The biggest advantage of BTL activation is it allows for flexibility and does not have to be templated. The scale, the message, the execution can be customised to the budget, the market and the core TG!

    Which advertising platform is expected to show the maximum growth?

     

    While digital and radio have the potential to scale up on their currently smaller bases, TV itself will offer newer platforms of addressability and technology through DTH, etc. Radio has never really seen its potential in this market, while digital has already made small dents in traditional media budgets! TV continues to hold out in its traditional avatar…and keeps re-inventing its offer – through content, scale and technology/addressability.
  • MediaCom South Asia president Jasmin Sohrabji

    MediaCom South Asia president Jasmin Sohrabji

    The Indian media industry today boasts of some powerful and intelligent women who have, through their incessant hard work and grit, found their place under the sun. In the second of the series – Ms. Media: 25 Women Who Matter – we tried to find out what MediaCom South Asia president Jasmin Sohrabji is all about and what it took her to get to the top!

    Jasmin has been in the industry for the last 16 years and is looked upon as “one of the most brilliant media professionals the industry has had in a long long time.” She is one of the members of Tam India’s Joint Industry Body (JIB) Committee, which advises Tam on corrections and also guide them about the placement of samples in newer areas.

    Sporting an MA in Economics and an MBA, this double postgraduate joined Trikaya Grey (now Grey worldwide) in 1989 after a short stint with Contract. Within Grey, she was sent to Bangalore in 1996 to set up the media department after the agency won the Wrigley account. Under her guidance MediaCom was launched in September 1996. The lady then packed her bags and was off to Indonesia to head the MediaCom operation there, where she worked on clients like Proctor & Gamble (P&G), GlaxoSmithKlien (GSK) and British American Tobacco (BAT).

    After a year, Jas (as she’s popularly called in the industry) zoomed off to New York to work on MediaCom clients – P&G and GSK – in the US. There she was also instrumental in training the US, South American, Eastern Europe and Asian markets on MediaCom’s proprietary optimiser tool – Maxis.

    Jasmin returned to Indian soil in 1999 and now heads MediaCom South Asia as president along with co-president Harish Shriyan. In addition to MediaCom South Asia (Bangladesh and Sri Lanka), Jasmin was also responsible for the P&G planning for the P&G AAI GBU including nine Asian countries.

    Her mantra for always being ahead of the others in this game is research. Today, MediaCom is known for its extensive research and has also won a lot of laurels through awards. In an environment where television ratings drive most decisions that media planners and buyers make, Jasmin has made it a point to go beyond mere ratings and churn out addressable solutions for the agency’s clients through extensive research. It’s no wonder that MediaCom has been consistently winning the Emvies for their research papers.

    Credit goes to her for giving the media industry two landmark research papers. The first one is TeleOsmosis, which is a paper on light TV viewers, which was a first for India. This research is an important input into TV optimisation and has won a Silver at the Emvies. What’s more, light TV viewer planning has become part of the media planning norm. Her second paper demonstrated the impact of multiple TV sets penetration on television viewing and therefore television planning and optimising. This paper – set2view – won three awards at the Emvies last year — the Gold for Best Media Research; the Grand Emvie for the best entry across all categories and the Tam cash award for Best TV Research.

    We asked this MediaCom loyalist, (who only dresses in black), whether she would be game to shift to an entirely new profession for the challenge of it. “I totally love what I do, but if a challenge comes my way I would be open to consider. But it’s not really about the challenge, the work content has to interest me! There are some sectors that are extremely challenging, but don’t interest me in the least. The business has to engage me before I engage the consumer,” she confidently replies.

    Being in the media industry for close to 16 years, Jasmin has a keen eye on what the future holds for the television and media industry. “The future will get more and more consumer focused, where on the one hand non-traditional touch points will be sought to effectively address the consumers, while on the other hand television planning will get further sophisticated in its attempt to not just reach out to numbers, but reach relevant quality consumers. Studies such as multi-set analysis on viewing impact will become more the order of the day, than just ratings. What’s leading these trends are new genres, new programming formats and new transmission formats!” says Jasmin.

    A no-nonsense woman, Jasmin is keen on making the media industry attractive enough to bring in talent from across sectors. “Our industry is shrinking in its talent pool and we need fresh blood and a fresh perspective,” she opines.

    Another thing on her agenda is to elevate the media agency function in the country to its justified remunerative status.

    Her mantra in life is to work hard and shop hard! “If you’re not going to spend it, why earn it! To many it’s ‘work hard, party hard,’ for me it’s ‘work hard, shop hard’,” Jasmin confides.

    What has the industry taught her? “I have been in this agency for 16 years and one thing this place has taught me is that hard work and loyalty are valued and will help me face any challenge,” says she.

    To her, Grey is her family and will always remain close to her heart! And when she needs to get away from work, her favourite pastime is “S&S” aka “Spa & Shopping”! “My work has always given me travel opportunities and I don’t really need to ‘get away’ from work, I just need to mix work with some pleasure,” says Jasmin. She loves to shop in New York and Paris.

    When asked what her strengths and weaknesses are, she says, “Media planning is my strength and shoes are my weakness! On a more serious note, I believe my strength is my ability to nurture and motivate my people. My weakness is my inability to easily accept people who do not fit into my benchmarks of ‘good’ human beings. I try to put people into ‘black’ or ‘white’ compartments where in reality there are only shades of gray. It’s the one fault I have always been pulled up for, and it’s the one mistake I keep making.”

    Jasmin is known among her colleagues as a person who loves to give career advice. “I believe I am very philanthropic with regard to career counseling as well as career planning for both current and past employees who have worked with me in any capacity. So there are many people in whose prayers and blessings I would always be present. Apart from this, I am also involved with CRY (Child Relief and You) but at a very base level.”

    In this day and age when it doesn’t take much to lure talent from one company to the other, Jasmin has stayed on with MediaCom for 16 years, which in itself is commendable for a person her stature. “One should enjoy the work one does. It’s not enough to be successful; it’s important to enjoy doing so. The means to success should be as enjoyable as success itself. Hard work and loyalty pays and the reason why I am where I am today is because after 16 years, I am just as passionate about what I do,” signs off the lady.