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Tag: Publicis Groupe

  • Rupee112 appoints Hitesh Yadav as head of marketing

    Rupee112 appoints Hitesh Yadav as head of marketing

    MUMBAI: Rupee112, a rising star in India’s fintech space, has appointed Hitesh Yadav as its head of marketing, signalling an ambitious push to sharpen its brand and accelerate digital growth.

    Yadav brings over a decade of digital marketing experience, having helmed campaigns at Sammaan Capital Limited, Renewbuy, Innocean India, Publicis Groupe, ARM Worldwide, and HT Media. His expertise spans PPC, SEO, customer acquisition, and performance-driven strategies across fintech, insurance, and media.

    In his new role, Yadav will chart Rupee112’s marketing vision, spearhead campaigns that deliver measurable results, and deepen engagement across both online and offline channels.

    “I am thrilled to join Rupee112, a company that is redefining the fintech experience in India,” Yadav said. “My focus will be on strategies that drive growth while positioning Rupee112 as a benchmark in marketing innovation and customer engagement.”

    The move underlines Rupee112’s ambition to consolidate its position in India’s evolving lending ecosystem. The platform leverages data, digital tools, and customer-centric design to offer accessible and tailored credit solutions to millions of users.

    With Yadav at the helm, Rupee112 looks set to combine fintech innovation with marketing muscle, a pairing likely to keep competitors on their toes.
     

  • 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.

  • Unny Radhakrishnan to step down as Digitas India chief after 5.5 years

    Unny Radhakrishnan to step down as Digitas India chief after 5.5 years

    MUMBAI:  Digitas India chief executive officer Unny Radhakrishnan will exit the agency at the end of September, drawing a close to a 5.5-year run at the Publicis Groupe-owned digital marketing firm.

    Radhakrishnan, who took charge in March 2020, steered Digitas India through a period of growth that saw it expand to a 450-strong team split between local clients and a global delivery hub. Under his leadership, the agency pushed deeper into data, user experience and technology services, cementing its position as a marketing transformation partner for brands.

    In a farewell note, he said leadership was about “bringing together people with different expertise and temperament to do things which otherwise could not have been done by any single individual”. He emphasised that before the “great place to work” labels, the focus was on being known for “great work and great people to work with.”

    Radhakrishnan’s career spans nearly three decades across GroupM, WPP and Publicis, with stints as chief digital officer for Wavemaker South Asia and earlier as head of digital at Maxus. A strong proponent of team building, he often described business as having “the responsibility to influence people to become better human beings, looking beyond the financial scorecards.”
    His next move has not been disclosed.

  • Mayoori Kango returns to Publicis to script an AI-powered new chapter

    Mayoori Kango returns to Publicis to script an AI-powered new chapter

    MUMBAI: From Bollywood spotlight to boardroom strategy, Mayoori Kango has never shied away from reinvention. The digital veteran has now rejoined Publicis Groupe as part of the global executive leadership team at Publicis Global Delivery (PGD), while also stepping in as CEO for PGD’s India Delivery Centre. The move marks a homecoming for Kango, who has already left her imprint on Publicis through earlier leadership roles at Performics (2016–2019) and Zenith (2012–2016). This time, her remit is bigger: driving global strategy across media, data-tech, and AI, and scaling PGD’s India operations into a hub of innovation.

    Kango arrives at Publicis fresh from Google, where she spent six and a half years. Most recently, she served as Industry head for AI, Martech & Media Solutions (Aug 2024–Aug 2025), and before that as head of industry for agency partnership (2019–2024). Her time at the tech giant placed her at the forefront of AI’s impact on marketing and media, a focus she is set to double down on at Publicis.

    Her career trajectory reads like a map of the digital advertising revolution: from 360i (2007–2009), where she worked on campaigns for Natgeo and Red Roof Inn, to Resolution Media (2009–2010), leading SEM for Pepsi, Monster, and Electrolux, to Digitas (2010–2012), running the Delta Search business. By the time she took the reins as chief digital officer at Zenith India, she was already recognised as one of the leading voices in digital transformation.

    Armed with an MBA in Marketing from Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College (2005–2007), Kango has built a rare global career that blends Silicon Valley tech with Madison Avenue storytelling and Indian market scale.

    Her dual role at Publicis is as much about the future as it is about continuity. As AI reshapes workflows, creativity, and consumer engagement, Kango will lead PGD’s efforts to position Publicis as the go-to partner for next-gen marketing solutions with India at its core.

    For an industry that thrives on reinvention, Kango’s return feels fitting. After all, who better to script a new chapter in AI-led marketing than someone who has lived through every act of digital’s ongoing drama?
     

  • Ratheesh MS joins Starcom as vice president after long GroupM stint

    Ratheesh MS joins Starcom as vice president after long GroupM stint

    MUMBAI: Advertising veteran Ratheesh MS has taken charge as vice president at Starcom, the media agency under Publicis Groupe. His appointment follows a brief spell at WPP Media and a near decade with GroupM’s Motivator, where he rose to general manager.

    Ratheesh has built a reputation for steering high profile accounts across auto, telecom, e commerce, insurance and consumer goods. His career spans over 19 years with stints at ZenithOptimedia, Wavemaker, Carat, Lintas Media, MPG Group, Malayala Manorama and Infomedia.

    Among his proudest milestones: conceptualising India’s first car night rally for Maruti Suzuki’s Swift, delivering double digit growth for Jabong.com, and leading Honda Cars’ media win in a multi agency pitch.

    At Starcom, Ratheesh is expected to bring his trademark blend of disruptive growth strategy and meticulous media planning to fuel the agency’s next phase of expansion.

  • Publicis Groupe smashes expectations with blistering 5.9 per cent organic growth

    Publicis Groupe smashes expectations with blistering 5.9 per cent organic growth

    PARIS: Publicis Groupe delivered a scorching second quarter that left competitors in the dust, posting 5.9 per cent organic growth that significantly outpaced expectations and cemented its position as the industry’s standout performer.

    The French advertising behemoth’s net revenue hit €3.6bn in Q2, up 4.6 per cent on a reported basis, whilst organic growth accelerated to 5.9 per cent – well ahead of the company’s five-year compound annual growth rate of 4.9 per cent for the quarter.

    Chairman & chief executive Arthur Sadoun didn’t mince words about the performance: “In a tough macroeconomic environment, Publicis had a very strong Q2 ahead of expectations,” he said, highlighting an “outperformance versus competition once again, of 800 basis points.”

    The stellar quarter was underpinned by what Sadoun called an “unprecedented new business run” of over a dozen material wins in the first six months of 2025, prompting the company to raise its full-year organic growth guidance to close to five per cent, up from the previous four to five  per cent range.

    Every major region delivered solid growth in Q2, with north America posting 5.8 per cent organic growth (5.3 per cent in the US), Europe climbing 4.6 per cent, and Asia Pacific surging 5.7 per cent. Latin America was the standout with a blistering 19.8 per cent organic growth.

    The company’s integrated model proved its worth in North America, where connected media and intelligent creativity drove “very solid growth,” whilst technology posted slight positive organic growth despite delayed capex spending across the IT consulting industry.

    Perhaps most impressively, Publicis managed to expand its operating margin to a record 17.4 per cent in the first half whilst sustaining significant investments in artificial intelligence, talent acquisition, and new business development.

    First-half net revenue reached €7.2bn, up 6.9 per cent, with organic growth of 5.4 per cent. Headline diluted earnings per share rose 3.8 per cent to €3.51, whilst free cash flow before working capital changes jumped 11.3 per cent to €828m.

    The company has been on a targeted acquisition tear, snapping up seven companies in the first half including Lotame’s identity solutions, Captiv8’s influencer technology platform, and Australia’s Atomic 212º media agency. These deals are designed to bolster Publicis’s AI-led capabilities and strengthen its “category of one” positioning.

    Despite ongoing global economic uncertainty, Publicis maintained its industry-high financial targets for 2025, expecting operating margins slightly above 18 per cent and free cash flow of around €1.9bn.

    “We are uniquely positioned to continue to win market share by bringing clients the immediate business solutions they need to grow in an uncertain global context,” Sadoun declared, signalling the company’s confidence in its ability to outmaneuver rivals in a disrupted industry.

    The results underscore Publicis’s transformation from traditional advertising agency to an integrated marketing technology powerhouse, with its data-driven approach and AI capabilities proving increasingly attractive to clients navigating digital disruption.

    With 108,000 professionals across over 100 countries, Publicis appears well-positioned to maintain its momentum through the remainder of 2025, despite anticipated client spending reductions in the second half.

  • Saumya Agarwal is appointed as vice president – Madison Media Plus

    Saumya Agarwal is appointed as vice president – Madison Media Plus

    MUMBAI: Madison Media Plus, a unit of Madison World, is delighted to announce the appointment of Saumya Agarwal as vice president. He will report to Madison Media Plus COO Mimi Deb.

    Saumya brings over 18 years of diverse experience in Integrated Marketing Communications. He has previously held leadership roles across GroupM, Dentsu and Publicis Groupe, and has worked with marquee brands such as Nykaa, HUL, Jaguar Land Rover, ICICI Group, HDFC Bank, Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, Allied Blenders and Spotify. Prior to joining Madison Media, he served as AVP at Starcom. Along with his deep brand-building expertise, Saumya brings a strong passion for new business initiatives, nurturing talent and crafting purpose-driven narratives.

    “As our client portfolio continues to expand and brand needs evolve, we are realigning our team structure to stay agile, strategic, and future-ready. Saumya’s addition to the leadership team marks a significant step in this direction, strengthening our capabilities to deliver impactful solutions and drive sustained business growth,” said Deb.

    Sharing his excitement, Agarwal said, “I’m excited to join Madison Media Plus at such a dynamic time of growth and transformation. The energy of the team is truly inspiring. I look forward to contributing meaningfully to our clients.”

  • Win blows into Cannes with ideas that are worth their metaverse in gold

    Win blows into Cannes with ideas that are worth their metaverse in gold

    MUMBAI: If Cannes is the playground for global creativity, Women Inspiring Network (Win) just brought the rulebook rewrite. On 18 June, amid the Riviera’s sparkle and the swirl of creativity at Cannes Lions 2025, Win is set to take over the iconic Hotel Martinez with the Win Lounge, a full day of boundary-breaking conversations on marketing, innovation, and leadership. But this isn’t just another panel fest. Think of it as a high-octane, insight-loaded salon for the world’s most disruptive thinkers.

    Adding sonic flair to the soirée is the debut of the Win Voices podcast, a platform spotlighting raw and unfiltered narratives from global game-changers. The vibe? Less conference, more cultural reset.

    The theme lineup reads like a cheat code to the future:

    1    Disrupting the Default: The New Playbook for Inclusive Innovation

    2    Culture is Capital: The New Frontier of Creative Influence

    3    Marketing in the Metaverse: Redefining Brand Engagement

    4    Beyond Advertising: Building Purpose-Driven Brands

    5    The Purpose Playbook: Philanthropic Families and the Art of Giving Big

    6    Metamorphosis of Marketing: Rebuilding Enterprises with Data, AI & Creativity

    The cast? Star-studded. From Snap’s Resh Sidhu, Spotify’s Bridget Evans, M·A·C Cosmetics’ Aïda Moudachirou-Rébois, and Samsung’s Antonia Faulkner, to Gumgum’s Phil Schraeder, Tigress Tigress’ Meera Sharath Chandra, Seeme Index’s Asha Shivaji, and WeTransfer’s Julia Linehan, the Win Lounge boasts a speaker lineup as sharp as a Cannes jury.

    And it’s not just media and tech titans. Voices from social impact and philanthropy like Neera Nundy of Dasra will add depth to the dialogue. “When families bring purpose to their philanthropy, they don’t just fund programmes, they shape futures,” she shared.

    Win founder Stuti Jalan summed it up with flair: “This is more than a gathering. It’s a game-changing celebration of creativity, courage, and connection.”

    Brands like Google, Apple, M·A·C Cosmetics, Samsung Electronics, Snap Inc., Publicis Groupe, and Influencer.com are already on the guest list. And this is just the start Win will next turn up at Climate Week in New York on 24 September, bringing its trademark fusion of inspiration and impact to the UNGA stage.

    So yes, Cannes might be about lions. But this June, the Win Lounge promises to roar the loudest and leave echoes of brilliance long after the rosé has run dry.

  • Lenovo sets up camp to call out campers in clever gaming crackdown

    Lenovo sets up camp to call out campers in clever gaming crackdown

    MUMBAI: Gamers hiding in corners just got cornered by a laptop upgrade. In a cheeky ambush inside one of India’s most popular shooter games, Lenovo India, with Intel and Leo Burnett, has launched Gamers on Duty, a guerrilla-style campaign that calls out “campers” mid-battle and offers them a shot at redemption: a discount on Lenovo Legion laptops.

    For the uninitiated, “camping” in gaming lingo is the much-despised strategy of hiding in one spot and picking off opponents from cover, much to the annoyance of serious players. But Gamers on Duty flips the script recognising that many Indian gamers aren’t camping by choice, but by compulsion. Outdated hand-me-down laptops, dad’s office machine, or just old tech struggling to keep up with today’s graphic-heavy games are pushing players into passive play.

    So Lenovo and Intel assembled a squad of undercover operatives 12 of India’s top gaming influencers, wielding a cumulative reach of 20 million. These “agents” infiltrated live games, hunted down campers using an in-game feature that allows a brief 15-second chat when a player is caught and used that vulnerable moment to serve up an unexpected offer: ditch the lag, grab a Lenovo Legion.

    By turning a niche in-game mechanic into a pop-up sales pitch, the campaign reached players right when their frustration peaked slow machines, melting keyboards, and sluggish gameplay. The result? A deluge of hilarious, shareable content and a savvy new way to turn gameplay into advertising without feeling like advertising.

    “At Lenovo, we believe gamers deserve to experience every moment of their gameplay at its absolute best. With this campaign, we wanted to connect with them not just through screens, but in the heat of action at the very moment when outdated devices hold them back. Lenovo Legion is engineered to deliver uncompromised performance, so gamers can play fearlessly and experience their full potential. By meeting players exactly where they feel the need for better performance, we’re not just showcasing our technology – we’re empowering them to level up, quite literally.” said Lenovo India CMO, Chandrika Jain.

    Publicis Groupe CCO for South Asia and Leo chairman for South Asia Rajdeepak Das added “This is a great example of how data and tech come together to create a hyper-personalized campaign targeting campers who have been at the receiving end of hate from the entire gaming community. Our idea was to reach out to gamers while they were hiding because of slow laptops and put the brand’s message and offers in the right place, at the right time, and to the right audience.”

    In short, Gamers on Duty proves that when it comes to clever marketing, it pays to play dirty, especially if you’re cleaning up the camping mess along the way.
     

  • Jayaram Nair sparks Intensity in Tribes JV, relocates to Bangalore for brand blitz

    Jayaram Nair sparks Intensity in Tribes JV, relocates to Bangalore for brand blitz

    MUMBAI: Jayaram Nair, a seasoned brand activation guru, has launched Intensity, a joint venture with Tribes Communication, and is relocating to Bengaluru to spearhead the new venture. Nair, who boasts 26 years of experience in the cut-throat world of BTL media, is promising to deliver “high impact solutions” across India’s sprawling marketing landscape.

    “I’m excited to announce my new gig,” Nair declared on LinkedIn, “Intensity is a fresh venture, a JV with the award-winning Tribes Communication. We’re talking integrated brand building, folks, and we’re ready to get going.

    Nair’s resume reads like a who’s who of Indian advertising, with stints at Cheil India, Percept Ltd, and Publicis Groupe. He’s a self-proclaimed “growth specialist,” “motivator,” and “change leader,” with a knack for P&L management and a “practical approach” to problem-solving.

    “I’ve been around the block,” Nair quipped, “From Mumbai to Gurgaon, I’ve seen it all. Now, I’m bringing that experience to Bangalore, but let’s be honest, the whole world’s my playground.”

    Intensity, backed by Tribes’ extensive network across 14 cities, is set to offer a full suite of brand building services, from live events and retail branding to loyalty programs and gaming events. Nair’s experience in “dark marketing” (read: cigarette promotions) suggests he’s not afraid to tackle tricky briefs.

    “With a handpicked team and a pool of top-notch partners, we’re ready to fuel growth,” Nair asserted. “We’re not just building brands; we’re building empires.”

    He will be operating from Bengaluru, but it is clear his ambition is to take on the whole of the Indian market.
    This move marks a bold step for both Nair and Tribes, as the duo aims to carve out a significant slice of India’s burgeoning marketing pie. With Nair’s experience and Tribes’ reach, they are setting their sights high.