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Tag: WPP media

  • Times of India hires WPP talent chief for recruitment overhaul

    Times of India hires WPP talent chief for recruitment overhaul

    MUMBAI: Bennett Coleman & Co, publisher of the Times of India, has hired Roshin Mascarenhas as its new head of talent acquisition, luring  her from WPP Media where she led recruitment across South Asia.

    The appointment signals the Indian media conglomerate’s push to revamp its hiring strategy as traditional publishers grapple with digital disruption and fierce competition for top talent. Mascarenhas brings 15 years of recruitment experience, including stints at Viacom18, Disney, and the Aditya Birla Group.

    Her move to the Times of India building in Mumbai marks something of a homecoming. Early in her career as a search consultant, she worked on critical roles for the newspaper group. Her husband also spent his formative professional years at the company, making this appointment as much personal as professional.

    At WPP Media, Mascarenhas managed geographically dispersed recruitment teams and standardised hiring practices across the advertising giant’s Indian operations. She oversaw campus programmes, implemented data-driven recruitment metrics, and championed internal mobility initiatives.

    Her LinkedIn announcement is peppered with rocket ship emojis and effusive praise for her new employer’s “heritage and integrity.” She describes herself as a “talent magnet” and “mindfulness champion” who believes technology cannot replace the “human touch” in recruitment.

    The hire comes as India’s media landscape undergoes rapid transformation. Traditional publishers like Bennett Coleman face pressure to attract digital-native talent while competing with technology firms and streaming platforms for the best candidates.

    Mascarenhas’s track record includes notable achievements such as recruiting 120 people in two months for UTV Stars’ Bollywood channel launch in 2011 and implementing hiring automation systems. Her appointment suggests Bennett Coleman is serious about professionalising its talent acquisition function.

    Whether her “positive vibes” approach and emphasis on creating “meaningful careers” can solve the structural challenges facing India’s traditional media remains to be seen. But for a company seeking to blend legacy with innovation, hiring someone who describes every recruitment as “a story” seems oddly appropriate.

  • Digital marketing maven climbs the WPP ladder

    Digital marketing maven climbs the WPP ladder

    MUMBAI: WPP Media,  has promoted Meghana HS to group head – digital, capping a meteoric rise through the advertising conglomerate’s ranks. The 27-year-old digital marketing specialist, who joined as manager – digital planning and strategy in January 2023, has spent the past two years and nine months crafting 360-degree media strategies for blue-chip clients across fast-moving consumer goods, wellness and personal care.

    Meghana built her reputation orchestrating full-funnel campaigns that blend traditional digital channels with trendy influencer marketing and over-the-top streaming platforms. Her knack for translating business goals into measurable returns on investment—whilst juggling budgets across upper, middle and lower marketing funnels—caught the eye of WPP’s brass.

    Before joining the Omnicom rival, she honed her skills at GroupM’s Motivator unit, where she progressed from ad operations executive to business executive between January 2020 and December 2022. Her journey began with a six-month traineeship at Digital Academy 360 in Bengaluru, where she mastered search engine optimisation, Google AdWords and social media marketing.

    The appointment reflects WPP’s push to beef up its digital capabilities as advertisers pivot spending toward performance marketing and programmatic buying. Meghana’s expertise spans Meta and Google advertising, Amazon marketing and YouTube campaigns—skills increasingly vital as brands chase measurable outcomes over brand-building vanity metrics.

    Her promotion comes as India’s digital advertising market surges, with programmatic buying and influencer marketing driving growth. WPP Media’s bet on homegrown talent like Meghana signals confidence in the subcontinent’s advertising ecosystem, where local expertise trumps imported knowledge.

  • Indiantelevision.com, mFilterIt co-host Bengaluru roundtable on AI-led app marketing

    Indiantelevision.com, mFilterIt co-host Bengaluru roundtable on AI-led app marketing

    BENGALURU: With India’s app economy mushrooming and companies locked in a race for clicks and engagement in an era of attention deficit, the question is no longer just about investing in app marketing, it’s about making every install count. To address this challenge, Indiantelevision.com Group and mFilterIt co-hosted a closed-door roundtable in Bengaluru on September 12, themed “Build Winning App Acquisition & Engagement Strategy Using AI & Analytics.”

    “In an ecosystem, where installs alone no longer define success, it is critical to focus on cleaner traffic, sharper strategies, and genuine engagement. That’s why we are delighted to co-host this forum with mFilterIt—a partner whose expertise in AI and analytics has been pivotal in redefining transparency and trust in the digital ecosystem. By co-hosting this forum with mFilterIt, we aim to equip marketers with insights that go beyond the numbers and help shape sustainable, growth-focused approaches for the industry,” noted Indiantelevision.com, chief business officer, Soumitra Sahu.

    The invite-only forum brought together senior voices from leading brands to discuss sharper strategies for app marketers. The focus was not only on driving installs but also on ensuring genuine user engagement, maintaining cleaner traffic, and improving key efficiency measures such as cost per install (CPI) and cost per engagement (CPE). 

    The shifting ground of app acquisition

    With user acquisition campaigns increasingly driven by affiliates, India’s top brands are beginning to face blind spots in their frameworks. Attribution platforms may be able to measure installs, but optimisation and bot detection often fall outside their scope. This is where independent validators such as mfilterit have entered the picture, deploying AI-powered algorithms and layered checks that uncover wasted ad spend and fraud patterns usually missed by traditional systems. 

    A powerhouse panel

    The discussion was moderated by WPP Media, national head – performance marketing, Satheesh Kumar and featured senior leaders including Rohit Utmani of Phonepe’s Indus app store, Manas Prakash of Ajio, Pawandip Singh of Rapido, Akansha Kumari of Pocket FM, Utkarsh Garg of Jar, Satheesh Chinnappan of redbus, Saravanan G of Payrupik, Kirtiman Phadke of Stable Money, Rajat Srivastava of My Growth Club, Durgesh Rathore of mfilterit, and Jagmeet Singh of mfilterit. Together, they brought perspectives from diverse verticals of India’s booming app economy.

    Cracking the code

    The agenda stressed on some of the toughest questions in app marketing today. Among them was how brands can detect wasted ad spend and improve ROI, what critical metrics validate app ad traffic and highlight potential risks, and how incent walls distort campaign outcomes. A key theme: why marketers must challenge the data they receive from platforms and affiliates instead of taking it at face value. Fraud samples, like unusual CTIT patterns, installs from invalid OS versions, click hijacking, incent traffic, and even fake orders, further demonstrated how affiliate monitoring and real-time validation can uncover non-compliant activities and wasted spend. By highlighting these real-world patterns, the session demonstrated how independent checks bring more rigour, transparency, and efficiency to app marketing campaigns. 

    Why it matters

    By the end of the session, participants gained a clearer view of the blind spots in user acquisition and a sharper understanding of how AI and big data can improve campaign outcomes. They also walked away with a roadmap to elevate their strategies with real-time insights, helping ensure that every install delivers value rather than vanity. For Indiantelevision.com group, co-hosting the event reinforces its role as a knowledge partner to the industry. Together with mfilterit, it aims to provide marketers with a forward-looking agenda at a time when the quality of engagement, rather than sheer quantity, defines sustainable growth.

  • Mathemedia: Shripad Kulkarni launches podcast for media’s next era

    Mathemedia: Shripad Kulkarni launches podcast for media’s next era

    MUMBAI:  Shripad Kulkarni, veteran media maven and former ceo of Vizeum, is launching MatheMedia, a first-of-its-kind podcast that promises to crack the code of India’s fast-changing media landscape.

    Streaming from 1 September 2025, the long-format series blends a CMO briefing with a masterclass, featuring over 25 industry heavyweights from advertising, tech, publishing, and brand leadership. The opening episode, aptly titled ‘The New Media Code’, will bring together voices such as L.V. Krishnan (TAM Media Research), Puneet Avasthi (Kantar), and Ajay Gupte (WPP Media) to decode the seismic shifts shaking the industry.

    “We live in a world of channel chaos, with more platforms and fragmented audiences than ever before,” said MatheMedia, founder, Shripad Kulkarni. “Gone are the days when we could think & work linear & measure with a linear mindset. Today’s marketer faces multiple challenges. With more category entry points, brand assets & personalised messaging needs, brand strategy is being redefined. Brand custodians face growing pressure from a crowded network of channels and partners. It’s time for new rules in strategy, media, measurement, and collaborations.”

    The podcast’s 12-episode debut season will tackle hot-button issues: the rise of AI in advertising, quick commerce, evolving consumer journeys, and the urgent need for unified, privacy-compliant measurement systems. Expect candid debates, sharp insights, and a dash of storytelling to simplify complex industry jargons.

    Guests lined up include Schbang’s Akshay Gurnani, Google India’s Priya Choudhary, Dentsu Creative Isobar’s Sahil Shah, and India Today’s Vivek Malhotra, to name just a few. Think of it as a roundtable where India’s top media minds redraw the playbook for marketers navigating chaos.

    Kulkarni, who has advised marquee brands from Fevicol and BMW to Airbnb and Yes Bank, brings his three-decade expertise and signature wit to the mic. His goal is to help professionals not just adapt to disruption, but shape it.

    Episodes will drop every Monday across Spotify, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram. So, whether you’re a CMO, a curious marketer, or just wondering why your ads keep following you around the internet, MatheMedia might just be the formula you need.

     

  • Lufthansa takes off with Sreeleela for Insider 2.0 travel storytelling

    Lufthansa takes off with Sreeleela for Insider 2.0 travel storytelling

    MUMBAI: When a rising star meets Europe’s sky-high classic, you know the journey won’t be ordinary. Lufthansa German Airlines has rolled out the latest chapter of its Insider campaign, this time headlined by actress Sreeleela, who brings a touch of homegrown charm to the airline’s premium global pitch.

    The campaign steered by Mindshare India with its UK counterparts and supported by WPP Media reimagines Lufthansa not just as a carrier but as a travel-lifestyle brand. Dubbed Insider Guide 2.0, it turns the spotlight on London’s cultural and culinary secrets, with Sreeleela exploring the city alongside UK creator Anastasia. From hidden haunts to haute cuisine, the duo presented a version of London few tourists ever see.

    For today’s premium Indian traveller, the sweet spot lies in blending indulgence with authenticity. The campaign taps into that appetite: immersive journeys that go beyond glossy itineraries, mixing Lufthansa’s signature service with storytelling that feels personal.

    Lufthansa Group head of marketing for South Asia, Southeast Asia & Pacific Sng Ju Stephanie summed it up as “experience-led travel, powered by authentic influencer engagement,” while WPP Media South Asia’s Amin Lakhani called it a “cross-border collaboration that raises the bar for cultural nuance and consumer connection.”

    With Insider 2.0, Lufthansa isn’t just chasing wanderlust; it’s serving up a menu of global discovery with an Indian garnish. For a brand that has long been a bridge between continents, this campaign ensures the story soars just as high as the aircraft.

  • DS Group and WPP decode digital chaos with India’s first marketing playbook

    DS Group and WPP decode digital chaos with India’s first marketing playbook

    MUMBAI: In India’s ever-buzzing ad world, there’s finally a playbook to crack the digital code. FMCG giant DS Group, in partnership with WPP Media, has launched Dcode – The Guide to Digital Marketing, a first-of-its-kind manual designed to streamline and elevate the country’s digital marketing practices.

    Unveiled at a high-profile event featuring panel discussions and keynote sessions, Dcode blends academic rigour with agency know-how to deliver practical templates, systems and best practices across the entire digital spectrum from paid media and SEO to influencer marketing and online reputation management. And here’s the kicker: it’s open access, free to download for anyone from CMOs to curious students.

    The initiative couldn’t be timelier. India’s media and advertising industry is projected to grow 7 per cent in 2025 to Rs 1,64,137 crore, with digital leading the charge at an 11.5 per cent growth rate, cornering 60 per cent of the market share and contributing Rs 10,225 crore of incremental ad spend. But this rapid expansion has been dogged by fragmentation, inconsistent methodologies and inefficiencies. Dcode aims to cut through the clutter by providing a regularly updated, evolving resource.

    “Digital isn’t just an option anymore; it’s a strategic imperative,” said DS Group vice chairman Rajiv Kumar calling Dcode a “legacy resource” for marketers, agencies and enthusiasts navigating today’s complex ecosystem.

    Echoing the sentiment WPP Media South Asia CEO Prasanth Kumar described Dcode as a “significant leap” that redefines industry standards, empowering businesses and professionals alike to thrive in a digital-first world.

    Positioned as a living guidebook, Dcode will be refreshed with the latest practices to ensure it remains relevant in a space where algorithms change as quickly as consumer behaviour. For India’s marketers, it might just be the cheat sheet they’ve been waiting for.
     

  • 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.

  • WPP slashes dividend in half as advertising giant struggles with client cuts

    WPP slashes dividend in half as advertising giant struggles with client cuts

    LONDON: WPP, the world’s biggest advertising agency, delivered a sobering performance in the first half of 2025, slashing its interim dividend by 50 per cent as profits tumbled and clients tightened their belts.
    The London-listed giant reported headline operating profit of £412m for the six months to June, down 36 per cent from £646m a year earlier. Revenue less pass-through costs—the industry’s preferred measure—fell 4.3 per cent on a like-for-like basis to £5.03bn.

    The company cut its interim dividend to 7.5p per share from 15p previously, with the board citing the need to give incoming chief executive Cindy Rose “room to review the group’s strategy and capital allocation policy”.
    Mark Read, who steps down as chief executive on 1 September after seven years at the helm, acknowledged the difficulties. “It has been a challenging first half given pressures on client spending and a slower new business environment,” he said.

    The results underscore the advertising industry’s struggles as companies slash marketing budgets amid economic uncertainty. WPP’s top 25 clients managed only flat growth, while key sectors including consumer goods and automotive weakened in the second quarter.

    WPP has made “significant progress” repositioning its media division, which replaced GroupM in May as part of chief executive Read’s drive to simplify the sprawling conglomerate. The unit, now called WPP Media, has undergone substantial restructuring to make it more client-focused.

    The company expects severance action taken in the second quarter alone to generate more than £150m of annual cost savings from 2026. Headcount has fallen 3.7 per cent since the start of the year to 104,000 people.
    Despite the gloom, WPP continues to invest heavily in artificial intelligence and data capabilities. Usage of WPP Open, its AI-powered marketing platform, has surged, with 85 per cent of client-facing staff now using it monthly, up from 60 per cent in March.

    The company also completed the acquisition of InfoSum, a data collaboration platform, and launched Open Intelligence, an AI tool designed to predict audience behaviour.

    Looking ahead, WPP expects like-for-like revenue less pass-through costs to decline between 3 per cent and 5 per cent for the full year. Headline operating profit margin is forecast to drop by 50 to 175 basis points.
    The company’s performance varied widely by region. North America, WPP’s largest market, saw revenue less pass-through costs fall 2.4 per cent, while China plunged 16.6 per cent amid persistent macroeconomic pressures.

    At the prestigious Cannes Lions festival in June, WPP was named creative company of the year, providing some cheer amid the financial turbulence. The group’s agencies secured 168 Lions, including a coveted Titanium Lion.

    Average adjusted net debt stood at £3.4bn at the end of June, giving a debt-to-EBITDA ratio of 1.98 times—outside the company’s target range of 1.5 to 1.75 times.

    Shares in WPP have struggled this year as investors fret about the advertising downturn and the company’s transformation efforts. The stock trades well below pre-pandemic levels, reflecting the challenges facing traditional advertising agencies in an increasingly digital world.

    Rose, who joins from Microsoft, faces the daunting task of restoring growth while maintaining WPP’s position as the industry leader. Her strategic review will be closely watched by investors hoping for a clearer path forward for the advertising behemoth.

  • 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.

  • WPP Media and Indriya turn cinema ceilings into starry runways with ‘Aasmaniyat’

    WPP Media and Indriya turn cinema ceilings into starry runways with ‘Aasmaniyat’

    MUMBAI: Who said the sky’s the limit? WPP Media has gone above and beyond, quite literally, with a category-busting cinema ceiling activation to launch Indriya’s new diamond collection, Aasmaniyat, for Aditya Birla Jewellery.

    In a dazzling first, theatre-goers in Mumbai, Delhi, and Hyderabad were treated to an overhead spectacle as cinema ceilings shimmered with celestial visuals synced to Indriya’s brand film. The campaign, timed during high-traffic screenings of Sitare Zameen Pe, was conceptualised and executed by WPP Media’s OOH Solutions and Mindshare teams, transforming auditoriums into immersive jewel boxes.

    By cleverly aligning the star-studded theme of the film with its own constellation-inspired collection, Indriya delivered an unforgettable “look up and wow” moment, a bold departure from standard screen-only storytelling.

    Part of a 360-degree media blitz that spans cinema, OOH, TV, and print, the campaign is set to run until early August, aiming to drive top-of-mind recall and emotional resonance for the brand.

    WPP Media South Asia, client solutions, Amin Lakhani said, “This campaign shows how media can evolve when creativity, insight, and technology unite. We are constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in brand storytelling, not just reaching audiences but moving them. The ‘Aasmaniyat’ activation for Indriya reflects our focus on innovation that is bold, memorable, and drives results. It’s about creating moments that matter, where media becomes a stage for emotion and impact.”

    “As media consumption patterns evolve, the role of OOH has expanded from visibility to immersive storytelling. This campaign is a defining example of how we can reimagine traditional spaces like cinema halls into high-impact brand experiences. Our focus is on innovation that captures attention, creates emotional resonance, and drives measurable value. The cinema activation is not just a media first, it’s a category-defining moment that showcases what’s possible when creativity meets contextual intelligence.” said WPP Media head of media solutions, Ajay Mehta.

    Indriya CMO Shantiswarup Panda added, “For the first time in the industry, a brand has leveraged the immersive power of cinema to connect with a broader audience in a truly innovative way. Inspired by the vast, mysterious beauty of the cosmos, Aasmaniyat captures celestial elegance through exquisitely crafted diamond pieces that sparkle like constellations in the night sky. And what better stage for this brilliance than a darkened cinema hall, where Indriya’s diamonds shimmer and illuminate the ceiling with every frame.”

    With Aasmaniyat, Indriya isn’t just launching jewellery, it’s elevating the very stage on which it sparkles. And thanks to WPP Media’s innovation, the sky is not the limit, it’s the canvas.