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Sociowash, an integrated advertising agency, has secured the creative digital mandate for inDrive India, a global mobility and urban services platform operational in 48 countries. The strategic partnership aims to boost brand visibility and growth in the Indian market by leveraging digital platforms. The mandate was awarded following a multi-agency pitch and will be overseen from Sociowash’s Delhi office.


Sociowash will utilize its cutting-edge creative prowess and strategic innovation to enhance inDrive’s visibility in the Indian market to unprecedented levels. The focus will be on amplifying the values of fairness and transparency in cab fares, seamlessly aligning with inDrive’s brand ethos, stated the agency.


Speaking on the association, Sociowash co-founder, Pranav Agarwal, said, “At Sociowash, we believe in the power of creativity and innovation to drive meaningful connections between brands and their audiences. With this partnership, we are excited to leverage our expertise to elevate inDrive’s presence in the Indian market, emphasizing values of fairness, and transparency, and disrupting the monopoly of other players. Together, we aim to create impactful campaigns that not only enhance brand visibility but also foster lasting relationships with customers.


Commenting on the association, Avik Karmakar, senior GTM Manager, inDrive South Asia said, “According to a study conducted by the sensor power data, inDrive is the second-largest ridesharing app in the world by downloads, which demonstrates that the market is receptive to newer and more convenient options. That’s where we come in. Within the dynamic landscape of the Indian market, our dedication to transparency and reliability remains unwavering. Through the utilization of Sociowash’s expertise and insights, we are positioned to navigate the competitive space with agility and resilience. We are confident that our combined efforts will yield results that bolster our brand’s presence and resonance in the Indian market.”


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/quantum-brief/sociowash-secures-the-digital-mandate-of-tide-arabia-23977.htm">Sociowash secures the digital mandate of Tide Arabia</a>

Sociowash secures the creative mandate for inDrive

Shashi Sinha is a true Media Maven of India’s advertising industry and one of the key figures shaping its future, not only in terms of cultivating next-gen talent but also helping define the rules by which media companies play. Sinha is the CEO of leading media investments group IPG Mediabrands which has firms like Lodestar, Initiative and BPN, driving media planning and buying for the country’s biggest advertisers. He is also the current chairman of industry body BARC which is the Broadcast Audience Research Council. In a special candid chat with Storyboard18's editor Delshad Irani, Sinha revealed his succession plan for the first time as he shared his outlook on cultivating and fostering talent. He also shared his take on the sweeping changes disrupting advertising and the media landscape. 

Edited excerpts. 

The advertising industry is witnessing a talent bleed. What is your approach to cultivating and fostering talent? 

There are two parts to talent - quality talent and culture, and they are intertwined. Quality talent is how you compensate and the truth of the matter is that compensation in agencies is under pressure right now. We're competing with ourselves and we're undercutting each other. As a result you're not able to get the right talent and pay them well and retain them. The industry association led by PK (Prasanth Kumar of GroupM) has realised that and we are moving towards asking for what is rightfully ours from clients, and clients will also give, if you explain to them this is what it takes to have quality talent. But that's a long haul. 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">In a special episode of Media Dialogues With <a href="https://twitter.com/BrandStoryboard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BrandStoryboard</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/delshad_irani?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@delshad_irani</a> speaks to a true Media Maven Shashi Sinha, CEO of <a href="https://twitter.com/IPG_Mediabrands?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IPG_Mediabrands</a> &amp; the current chairman of industry body BARC. Sinha shares his outlook while giving his take on the sweeping changes disrupting AdEx… <a href="https://t.co/WxFKjsSEj4">pic.twitter.com/WxFKjsSEj4</a>&mdash; CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18News) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNBCTV18News/status/1785655206476128531?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

What are some of the steps? 

We undercut ourselves. We say, "Listen, I will give it to you cheaper." How do you get cheaper?... So, we are saying that there has to be some table stakes and you don't go below table stakes. We're working on it. But the other important part is culture. 

We have leaders who have been with us for years. The culture fosters it. Given half a chance I will promote a person from inside rather than get someone from outside. 

They play together, they work together, you're building teams, and that's true for the entire organisation. We were in a very large client review and we put up a slide saying in the last five years, 95% of the people on the account have been constant. So the team has gone up on that account from 40 to 80. But the old people are not gone, they're still there. That's a remarkable story to tell in this day and age.

Someone could have said 'but you're not getting fresh thinking'. I say the fresh thinking is there because there are new people coming on, but the leadership has been there, and that provides continuity. So there are two ways of looking at the data. 

Rightly or wrongly, as I said, in my mind, I will always pick up an insider whether they are 80 or 70 percent ready rather than someone from outside. There are some clients who believe that and some who don't. Many clients like Amul see the value in such continuity. They've had changes from their side, we've had changes from our side, but they are all insiders and we're all insiders. To some clients (like startups) it doesn't matter. 

It's a large market. Those who believe in what I am staying will work with us. 

What do you think of succession planning? Have you thought about it? 

Without getting into names, I did speak to our global team and I said, it is for you to decide but this is the way I see it. We have charted out a future and I have said 'there has to be someone from within, you let me know and I am happy to handle the transition'. Hopefully, if all goes well, we will come back to you and talk about it. We have a plan. Whether the plan fructifies or not, depends on how the global environment is. 

Watch the full interview on Media Dialogues with Storyboard18 on CNBC-TV18. 

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<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/interviews/barc-to-launch-new-meters-to-measure-premium-households-exclusive-29269.htm">Read more: BARC to launch new meters to measure premium households: EXCLUSIVE</a>

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/ipg-mediabrands-india-ceo-shashi-sinha-is-considered-a-pillar-of-the-ad-industry-heres-why-18238.htm">Read more: IPG Mediabrands India CEO Shashi Sinha is considered a pillar of the ad industry. Here’s why</a>

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/interviews/d2m-will-be-the-upi-moment-for-content-shashi-sinhas-snap-take-on-me-growth-and-disruptions-26473.htm">Read more: D2M will be the UPI moment for content: Shashi Sinha's snap take on M&E growth and disruptions</a>

IPG Mediabrands chief Shashi Sinha's succession plan revealed; 'It has to be someone from within...'

Kartikeya Tiwari, national creative director and senior vice president, FCB Kinnect, spent most of his working years in digital marketing agencies. From his observation and experience, the process of pitching has become way more process driven.

Earlier, agencies would be invited by the client’s brand team or by the pitch consultants. Today, it’s the client’s procurement department that sends out an RFP (request for proposal).

Agencies consider whether there’s enough money in the deal, whether they’d like to work with the brand, whether they have enough bandwidth in terms of people, etc., before they decide to pitch.

After the agency accepts the invitation, the next step is aligning the procurement team (of the brand) with a business development person (of the agency). The discussion ranges around budgets and costs. Then comes the briefing, where the marketing team explains the business problem that needs to be solved, and what they are seeking from the agency.

After the briefing session is done, the first round of "a tissue-paper session" is conducted, which is basically bouncing off of ideas. In an interview, Tiwari explained that though a very new concept, it’s not compulsory, and is asked by new-age clients who are running short of time to risk later. “It is conducted so that the output is very close to what they want to actually execute and not something just meant to impress them,” he said.

Edited excerpts:

This is the season of pitching. I was told that once the agencies accept the brand’s invitation, the first two days go in showcasing their portfolio. What is your take on this? 

The showcase of portfolio by brands happens at the RFP stage. And, based on the portfolio, the agencies get invited.

For example, some companies have a mandate that we need agencies that have at least 10 years of experience. So they look at everyone's portfolio and they will eliminate everyone with under 10 years’ experience. 

There is no fixed way of pitching. It varies from company to company. In new-age startups or mid-scale agencies, agencies go and introduce yourselves to the brand. For example, “Hi, we are FCB Kinnect. We are 13 years old. These are the kinds of brands we work with. Let us show you a few case studies of our work.” 

Sometimes in the case of bigger brands, they have already seen the work of the agencies, based on which they send out the invitation. But we still need to introduce ourselves. They might say, “We've seen this piece of work. Let's continue ahead.” Then they want to know other things like: “How big is your team? How many offices do you have?” Some may ask, “How much is your annual turnover?” To which the CEOs say, “We can't disclose that to you.” But it often gets asked. 

Questions like “What's your attrition?” are also asked, and these days we are getting asked that question a lot. So, these questions do get asked at the introduction stage. Then we get the brief, which can be a written document. We always insist on a meeting, where we can ask them questions as well.

Then we get time to brainstorm, ideate, think of solutions, think of a creative route, make that into a campaign or a long=term strategy or a plan. 

Could you also touch upon the ‘tissue session’ in detail?

Before we create assets which is effort and time-intensive, we sometimes would like to do a tissue session with a client, or sometimes clients ask for a tissue session. This is just to make sure that when we meet the brand after one month or three weeks, it is in alignment with their expectations.

Then they will either sign off by saying yes, no or maybe and these are things one could think about. 

What is the duration of a creative pitch?

It depends on how big the mandate is and it is subjective. Sometimes, brands have two to three sub-brands with two to three mandates. Brands want to see how they will work for this brand, and how they will scale this brand. Preparation time can last for two to three weeks or sometimes a month. Again, it is subjective.

It depends on: How urgently does the client need it? How quickly can an agency turn around? If an agency is caught up during the peak advertising period, and if the brand asks for a pitch today and says, “Come up next week.” We'll say, “We can't. Sorry, we are very busy. We can come back in two weeks.” If that doesn't work, we will step out of this. 

Remember, I had said they filter, then they approach. To say yes, agencies need to consider: Do I want that business? Is this the kind of brand we want to work with? Do we have the bandwidth of people and do we need to take up more work right now?

If an agency loses the pitch, what are the steps to be considered to prevent ‘idea shopping’?

Sometimes idea shopping happens. And some agencies charge because of that, and some ask for an NDA (non-disclosure agreement). Brands send an NDA when they share the brief with the agency. 

Sometimes the clients love the ideas shared by us, but issues like finances and timelines not aligning usually crop up, among a list of other reasons, like the desire for a different execution, etc.

In that case, they pay us for conceptualisation, whereas, they make a deal for the execution part with another agency. 

In that case, they pay us for conceptualisation. And they execute it with someone else and then pay them for execution. 

Could you touch upon Round 1 and Round 2 of the pitching process?

In the case of a global company, an MNC or a government brand, they seek a long-term relationship. Then, they'll have two to three rounds of a pitch. In the first round they have 10 agencies. Based on the first round of presentations, they will eliminate some and come to the second round of smaller agencies who will pitch. Then, they will select the winner, which is based on the quality of work, the kind of people they met. That's a very big factor.

Third is the money factor. For some brands, money is the most important thing. Their decisions are taken based on who is within their budget.

Some brands are like, “We have enough money, we want to work with the best.” So they will negotiate with the best. 

Then, maybe they will give the agency feedback. They will go back, make the changes and come back for Round 2. Hopefully there is no Round 3. Or after Round 2, maybe they say, “We have shortlisted you and one more.”

Then the negotiations happen after Round 1. Now, it's about cost, people and commitment. Then they negotiate on price with the finalists. Then they declare one as the winner, and the mandate is awarded.

It's a long process. Keeping oneself motivated during this period is tough. Maybe after three rounds of pitches, or after one and a half to two months, the brand may say no. In fact, for the creative and strategy and art departments, you literally put a chunk of your life into that pitch. You get attached to it emotionally. Creative work is emotional. 

What was your first pitch at FCB Kinnect? 

I was a one-man army, doing everything, right from making the presentations and follow-up calls, to fulfilling certain other tasks. 

I remember telling everybody “Just believe, we'll figure it out." And it happened. We did the first creative campaign for them, and it was a big one for us at that time.

The learning for me was that we often think it's about the work, and the presentation we are going to do. But the learning is about way more than just that. 

What are the pain points when it comes to pitching?

Number one, sometimes I feel the reason for not finalising with an agency is the brand not giving an honest reason. Imagine, you've done a pitch for three rounds or two rounds. And you can sense that they love the work that you've presented. They have been discussing it with you even after the pitch. And then, they start negotiating with you. And if you've quoted X, they tell you, “We have 50 percent of X in the budget.” Then, they award the mandate to another agency. It's clear, that's why they went for that. They just can't say that openly. 

The other reasons are also like, one person has an ego problem with a superior, and are not awarding the mandate for that. But they can't say that honestly. And they will engage with an agency for two months on their pitch process.

So my biggest pain is not winning despite having all the ingredients to win.

A second pain point is multiple rounds of pitches. I know what the pitch process does to you. It leaves you exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally. It's an energy-, time- and emotion-consuming task. 

Sometimes clients change the brief between round one and round two. Then it gets difficult. Let's say in round one, they've told the agency to come up with a broad digital strategy for the brand. So the agency works on a very detailed plan of what their next one year should look like as a brand. The agency has pitched for round one, and they qualified them for round two. And now a new brief comes in. You feel like you have put a lot of energy into something that is not useful at all. 

The work in the pitches never actually gets realised. It is something that never really happens. Now, “Jo hum pitch karte hain, wo asli mein campaign banti hain. Aur hum wahi pitch karna chahte hain." (What campaign we have pitched, and if we win the mandate, that is the actual campaign that sees the day of light. And, we want to pitch that)

We don't want to pitch what will never see the light of day. We would prefer brands to give us a brief for something that is a real problem, and if we win, we would execute what we have pitched. And that's what has started happening in the last few years.

How different is the pitching process for startups compared to established brands?

Some of the big brands now also include a pitch consultant. Their job is to just make sure that there's no bias in this process. What info was given to A agency must be given to B agency. 

We work with Amazon also, and we don't pitch to them because now we've worked with them for the last six years. But they're very proper about processes. While at a startup, the founder might be sharing his business problems while taking a walk with you. That's the difference. The involvement is way more casual and way more informal. In the case of established brands, it's much more structured.

Who are your longstanding clients?

Our longstanding clients are Asian Paints, HDFC Bank, Amazon and Lodha Group, among others.


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/advertising/perfecting-the-pitch-for-ad-agencies-brands-and-consumers-28653.htm">Who are advertising 'pitch consultants' and what do they actually bring to the pitch table?</a>

FCB Kinnect’s Kartikeya Tiwari: If we win a mandate, we would want to execute what we have pitched

Amara Raja Batteries Ltd's Amaron, India’s leading automotive batteries brand, has called for a creative pitch, according to industry sources. The incumbent is its long-standing creative partner, Ogilvy, which has been associated with the brand for over two decades. One of the brand's and India's most memorable campaigns was 'Amaron - Lasts Long, Really Long, Ting Tong', a phrase that entered the popular lexicon and is still in use today. 


Amara Raja Batteries officially rebranded itself as Amara Raja Energy and Mobility Limited (ARE&M) in 2023, marking the culmination of a two-year journey aimed at transitioning from a battery manufacturer to a comprehensive solutions provider in the Energy and mobility sector.


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ARE&M is the flagship company of the Amara Raja Group and it is one of the largest manufacturers of lead-acid batteries for both industrial and automotive applications in the Indian storage battery industry. It has prestigious original equipment manufacturers like Maruti Suzuki India Limited, Hyundai Motors India Limited, Ford India Limited, Tata Motors Limited, Mahindra and Mahindra Limited, Honda Cars India Limited, Renault Nissan, Honda Motorcycles & Scooters India Private Ltd, Royal Enfield, Bajaj Auto Ltd, and many more as its clients. The Company's Industrial and Automotive batteries are exported to 50 countries across the globe.


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Today, the company offers a range of solutions and products, encompassing Automotive Batteries, Industrial Batteries, Battery Energy Storage Solutions, Lithium-Ion Cell Manufacturing, a wide array of EV Chargers, Li-ion Battery Pack Assembly, Renewable Energy Storage Solutions, Battery Management Systems, and Lubricants.


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In 2022, before the rebranding, the company unveiled a mascot – The Ron, launched to coincide with a range of new Amaron batteries. It was created by Ogilvy India's Design Cell. 


At the time, Jayadev Galla, Chairman and Managing Director, Amara Raja Batteries Limited, said, “We had always planned to launch a brand mascot and were waiting for the right opportunity. Brand ambassadors and celebrities are valuable, but they don’t become uniquely identifiable with a brand for extended periods. A mascot is timeless and unique. And this is the right time to introduce the Rons, with Amaron expanding not just across India, but into international markets."

Leading auto battery brand Amaron's creative business on pitch: Exclusive

Coca-Cola's innovative 2023 Christmas activation, "Magic Audios" popped up on social media recently for its innovative use of artificial intelligence technology and WhatsApp. The campaign tapped into WhatsApp in Brazil, the world's second-largest market for the messaging platform. Leveraging insights into Coca-Cola's significant chatbot user base in Brazil and WhatsApp's popularity, the campaign aimed to strengthen connections with customers, explained the agency behind the campaign - Ogilvy. 

Participants were challenged to record audio messages conveying Christmas wishes while drawing the Coca-Cola bottle silhouette and those who succeeded were awarded prizes. An AI system analyzed audio waveforms, swiftly classifying both form and content, and responding to users promptly. 

Over a two-week period, the campaign generated massive participation, with over 12 million seconds of audio recordings and 400,000 Christmas messages sent. It attracted nearly 100,000 new unique users to Coca-Cola's WhatsApp presence. This creative approach reinforced Coca-Cola's brand presence and fostered meaningful interactions during the festive season in Brazil.

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This innovative campaign that deployed AI-tech for Coca-Cola was shared by Storyboard18's editor on social media recently, prompting Indian users to highlight that this campaign seems to be inspired from a five-year old Swiggy campaign. Viewers were quick to draw comparison between Coca-Cola Brazil's Magic Audios campaign from 2023 with Swiggy's 2019 Voice of Hunger activation for a specific reason, as pointed out by one of the minds behind the campaign. 

But first, more about the 'Voice of Hunger'. 

Challenging foodies on Instagram, Swiggy, India’s largest food delivery platform and its agency Dentsu Webchutney took interactive campaigning to an all new level in 2019. The brand launched a fun-engaging consumer campaign #SwiggyVoiceofHunger, where foodies were urged to recreate the shape of their favorite food using the voice note feature on Instagram. 

The campaign consisted of 5 challenges – consumers were expected to recreate the shape of a Kebab Skewer, Nacho, Shawarma, Pancakes and more using the voice note feature on Instagram. Whoever completed all 5 challenges stood a chance to win a year’s worth of food vouchers from Swiggy. 

At the time, Ashish Lingamneni, who was AVP Marketing at Swiggy said “Contests are a fun way to engage with and understand the pulse of consumers. The unique nature of this campaign has resonated exceedingly well with foodies across the country, with food lovers voicing their hunger literally at an average of 50+ DMs per minute! We are absolutely delighted to see the #SwiggyVoiceofHunger campaign dominate the consumers’ mindspace. The success of this campaign pushes us to serve our discerning consumers more engaging and delightful content”. 

Swiggy had received a whopping 60,000+ voice notes for its challenges on Kebab Skewer , Nachos and Shawarma. Social Media influencers Rohan Joshi, Kanan Gill, Barkha Singh, Ashish Chanchalani, Niharicka Singh, Srishti Dixit and many more were seen passionately voicing their hunger by recreating voice notes. Brands like Airtel also joined the fun banter creating their own versions of Nachos.

India - a global creative powerhouse

The campaign won several awards including the coveted Cannes Lions. The agency won a silver for Swiggy’s ‘Voice of Hunger’ campaign in the Social and Influencer category. A first for any Indian agency. 

Sanket Audhi is a founding member of Talented, one of the most exciting and breakthrough new agencies to come out of India in years. The agency was founded by former Dentsu Webchutney executives and teams, the same team that created the Voice of Hunger campaign. 

Audhi shared, "Us Indian creatives are no strangers to comments insinuating that our idea was "first done in UK/USA/AUS/EU/somewhere in the middle of the arctic ocean" As an Indian ad nerd, this is a great day. Here's an idea from the West that's taken more than a whiff from a campaign my team and I executed 5 years ago - Swiggy Voice of Hunger - which won big across Cannes Lions, One Show and the likes in 2019. More special since it was our first Lion. And India's first Social & Influencer Lion!" 

He added, "PS: Wasn't planning on posting about this but made a promise to those in my DMs who sent me the Coke activation asking "broooo isn't this Voice of Hunger?!?!"

Watch the Swiggy activation here. 

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Indian creativity going global?: A 2023 Coke Brazil campaign seems to be inspired by a 2019 Swiggy activation

Towards the end of October 2023, Dentsu reshuffled its leadership and unveiled a Global Practices structure to centralise its teams and change the face of integrated growth delivery for clients. The entity is led by Jean Lin, global president - global practices, at Dentsu Group.


Dentsu wants to build an integrated, end-to-end solutions unit to drive client growth, while emphasising its commitment to its global leadership brands including Carat, iProspect, dentsu X, Dentsu Creative, Merkle and Tag.


Jean Lin was in India and Storyboard 18 spoke to her about global practices, the top challenges in the business, and her views on Dentsu’s journey so far. She herself has been a Dentsu veteran, having joined Isobar in 2004 following the acquisition of wwwins Consulting, a digital consulting firm she founded in Greater China, eventually becoming Global CEO of Isobar in 2014.


She most recently served as a member of the group’s executive management team. Edited excerpts from the interview:


You set up Global Practices under the Dentsu Group in October. Tell us more about the strategy of setting this up.


This is part of a very important action for Dentsu Group to move into an even more client-centric organisation, to help our clients really to deliver their growth. We have a few key components in the model – we have a very focused management organisation and committee to ensure that we always lead with clients at heart, while proactively thinking of how we can help clients to solve problems.


We also have this global practices where we bring in all the unique and fabulous capabilities together to ensure that we create a learning organisation and also ensure that all the best practices are brought to the client proactively, in a distinctive and connected way, to help clients drive growth and deliver integrated growth solutions.


We have a component called data and tech because we have a lot of data and technology products – this is a key focus area to help our clients deliver the next level of growth in enabling them to deliver a solution. We have a clear data and tech strategy to enable the organisation to grow horizontally.


We have a global delivery unit. Many of our clients are looking at how they can enhance efficiency but also proactively thinking of how they can drive the strategy and growth through our talent. And this global delivery unit is what is really enabling our global growth.


How do your regional CEOs work with Global Practices?


So, we're basically one management team. This is one Dentsu model to have one strategy, one process and one management team. All the regional CEOs are partners for me in Global Practices on how we define the go-to-market and other solutions.


And we work with the regional CEOs on how they implement it proactively and in a relevant way to the local markets. Because not one market is the same. What we want to do is to help our clients assess our capability in a much easier and more consistent way. But we don't want to create a top-down model because sometimes that doesn't work in helping to deliver to our client with agility.


How is it being implemented in India?


India is one of the most interesting players and they are really ahead of time because they have been thinking about this client-centricity over the past few years. So, global practices is really going well. The creative, media and CXM and how they work together. I just had a meeting with them to watch them and how they proactively connect with each other to solve the client's problems.


We are not really bogged down in terms of the organisational structure. We have a mindset of how we can create this value for our clients that are ideas-led, AI-powered and value driven, regardless of where you sit in the Dentsu organisation.


What are the top challenges facing your business today?


The overall advertising market has huge opportunities and challenges because of a few things. Technology has now democratised many of these functionalities. AI is coming into play, which can actually push us in thinking about how we deliver content advertising and solutions in an entirely different way.


The clients want something that is less complex and they want something that is more integrated. This really gives us an opportunity to think of how we organise ourselves, how we deliver solutions, how we come up with innovation, to really drive impact for our clients’ businesses in an entirely different way.


You have been with Dentsu for decades. The group has had a complete overhaul. How do you look at the journey of this transformation?


Dentsu as a company has 123 years of history. We were joking about it the other day. A lot of the things that we have been through from this historical lens of 123 years is like a blink, right?


We need to change. We need to transform ourselves. We need to perform better. And we want to innovate. We want to create impact.


For this to happen, we do need to take the suffering as well to ensure that we transform and really embrace change. That is what's been happening over the past few years. There is a journey that we all are onboarding and we are taking our team with us. There are some colleagues that we really love that are doing different things right now that they never intended to, but we are always and forever grateful for the fact that we actually enjoy the moment with them and create something meaningful while they are here.


I think now we are on a new page. We have a new strategy. We have a new operating model. A lot of our clients are actually telling us how happy they are when we go through the simplification. We have done a lot of hard work in the past few years, and this is a moment we can truly create value for them.


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/watch-listen/mondelez-turns-75-a-look-at-its-growth-journey-and-ad-campaigns-in-india-10477.htm">Mondelez turns 75! A look at its growth journey and ad campaigns in India</a>

Embracing change and suffering for transformation: Dentsu’s Jean Lin

For Sumit Agrawal, Head of Finance, Cheil India, a CFO is an integral part of the strategy of the company and helps to monitor the progress. “The CFO is looked upon as the authority to highlight risks, monitor business and financial performance, lay down process guidelines and overcome taxation and compliance challenges. The CFO helps to draw a fine balance between business requirements of speed of execution and adherence to processes,” he said.


Edited Excerpts


Tell us about your career trajectory and journey? Where and how you started and what got you here?


Professionally, I am a chartered accountant and postgraduate in business management from the Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar. I am an alumnus of Sherwood College, Nainital and hold a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi.


At present, I am working as the Vice-President of Finance with Cheil India and have been working with the company since 2019, leading the finance and accounts, taxation and legal functions.


Post MBA, I started as a group management trainee with the Aditya Birla Group, predominantly working with the CXOs in the cement and carbon black businesses. I also played a key role in the initial growth phase of Brand Capital - Private Equity Business of The Times Group. Subsequently, I led the finance planning and analysis function at HCL Infosystems Ltd and ReNew Power, before joining Cheil.


What led you to join the advertising agency ecosystem in finance? What were your initial impressions and thoughts of the advertising business? 


Having worked with the Times Group for over five years, as part of the deal making team, I often interacted with professionals from the media and entertainment industries, including advertising agencies. The media or advertising industry is very vibrant and recognises talent, hence there are always opportunities to contribute and grow.


In Brand Capital, I closely interacted with promoters and CXOs and have always believed that brand building is a very important aspect for all companies in order to target their stakeholders, be it customers, employees, investors, regulators etc. Each of the companies have their own growth trajectory and brand building helps to amplify that growth potential.


How has the role of a CFO in an ad agency changed over the years? What does the job entail today? Where have you seen the biggest changes in what the role and function means to the business?


The importance to the role of the CFO has dramatically increased over the years. Apart from budgeting, financial planning and analysis, cost management and supporting regular business operations including accounting and funds management, the CFO plays an important role in compliance and risk management of the organisation.


The CFO is an integral part of the strategy of the company and helps to monitor the progress. One is expected to be versatile and work closely with the business team.


How do other departments and functions in the agency view the role of the CFO and the finance function?


The finance function helps to support regular operations of the company and help the business teams navigate the process requirements of the company. The CFO is looked upon as the authority to highlight risks, monitor business and financial performance, lay down process guidelines and overcome taxation and compliance challenges.


The CFO is often called upon to mitigate risks and also facilitate ease of doing business. The CFO helps to draw a fine balance between business requirements of speed of execution and adherence to processes.


Where do you have the best synergies - in terms of working with other functions and areas that need more work?

The finance function works in a cohesive manner with other functions to ensure adherence to business objectives and processes. The finance function monitors the business performance across various profit centres and cost centres.


Since the advertising industry is getting more competitive, there is a need to maintain a balance between revenue growth and profitability.


What's the CFO's take on how the agency business model has evolved? What have been the key changes and disruptions according to you and what has been the impact of these shifts on the ad agency business model?


The advertising agencies are looking at enhancing their capability to be able to meet all the branding needs of their clients. Further, they want to leverage the capability of each of the business functions to be able to work more coherently and enhance their service offering.


Cheil has developed capabilities in all spheres of digital media, traditional media, out of home, film production, activation, retail branding, performance marketing etc. such that the entire product offering is available to their clients through a single window with the ‘business connected agency’ approach.


Agencies are facing a few disruptions. Is the business model future-ready?


The advertising industry is facing threats due to technological disruptions through AI, evolving consumer behaviour, regulatory changes with respect to data privacy laws etc.


In order to expand and sharpen their existing service offering, agencies are looking at both organic and inorganic growth opportunities to be future ready. Agencies are leveraging new technology and data driven insights to remain relevant.


From your observation, do you see any gender inequality or disparity in the finance function across levels?


Though the finance function mostly comprises men, there is no gender bias or preferences across levels.


Agency leadership has traditionally been male dominated and advertising was seen as a boys club. Does that hold true for finance as well and the CFOs in advertising? 


The agency leadership is gender neutral; however gradually, an increasing number of women professionals are joining the industry.

What are the steps ad agencies must take to advance CFOs' role in advertising?

Agencies need to invest in talent development through providing opportunities for industry interaction and continuous learning. Further, cross functional collaboration will help to encourage knowledge sharing and build operational efficiencies.


The CFO can be an integral part of the decision making beyond pure financial matters including client pitches and business development meetings.


What are the trends you are currently witnessing in advertising, and what is the role of a CFO in such a scenario?

India’s growth story has helped the digital media advertising industry to emerge as the fastest growing medium of advertising. Personalised targeting is becoming important. Influencer marketing is becoming an integral part of the brand promotion strategy. Accordingly, data driven insights and e-commerce integration are becoming increasingly important.

As large media groups have resorted to inorganic growth opportunities to fast track their growth and sharpen their service offerings, the CFO has a key role to enable organic and inorganic growth opportunities. The CFO needs to deploy business finance resources to closely monitor the ROI and other KPIs (Key Performance Indicator).


What according to you are the biggest threats facing the advertising agency business today? 


Apart from technological disruptions, client retention and share of wallet (due to budget constraints of clients) affects advertising agencies. Further, talent acquisition and retention is a challenge as there is scarcity of skilled professionals.


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/cfos-breaking-boundaries-crafting-long-term-strategies-for-organisational-stability-nidhi-mehta-gozoop-group-28872.htm">CFOs breaking boundaries, crafting long-term strategies for organisational stability: Nidhi Mehta, GOZOOP Group</a>

A CFO can be an integral part of decisions including client pitches and business development meetings: Sumit Agrawal, Cheil India

Global advertising holding company Omnicom announced results for the quarter ended March 31, 2024. Reported revenue in the first quarter of 2024 increased $187.2 million, or 5.4%, to $3,630.5 million. Worldwide revenue growth in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the first quarter of 2023 was led by an increase in organic growth of $136.9 million, or 4.0%. Acquisition revenue, net of disposition revenue, increased revenue by $53.0 million, or 1.5%, primarily due to the Flywheel Digital acquisition in the Precision Marketing discipline. The impact of foreign currency translation reduced revenue by $2.7 million, or 0.1%.

Organic growth by discipline in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the first quarter of 2023 was as follows: 7.0% for Advertising & Media, 4.3% for Precision Marketing, 9.5% for Experiential, and 2.1% for Healthcare, partially offset by declines of 4.3% for Execution & Support, 3.8% for Branding & Retail Commerce, and 1.1% for Public Relations.

Organic growth by region in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the first quarter of 2023 was as follows: 4.3% for the United States, 3.5% for Euro Markets & Other Europe, 22.3% for Latin America, 3.0% for Asia Pacific, 3.2% for the United Kingdom, and 1.1% for Other North America, partially offset by a decline of 4.2% for the Middle East & Africa.

“Omnicom began the year with solid organic revenue growth of 4.0%, led by continued strength in our advertising & media and precision marketing disciplines, including Flywheel Digital,” said John Wren, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Omnicom. “We are uniquely able to combine marketing and sales solutions with a seamless set of information signals to turn our award-winning creativity into measurable dynamic business outcomes for our clients.  Our industry-leading tools and platforms, combined with the strength of our operating leadership, has led to our excellent new business performance and, when combined with the new opportunities we are pursuing, give us great confidence in the future.”

Omnicom Q1 2024 Results: Revenue of $3.6 bn, with organic growth of 4.0 percent

Interpublic Group (IPG)-owned FCB Group in India has been through many changes over the past few months. It roped in former Leo Burnett South Asia chief Dheeraj Sinha as Group CEO for India and South Asia, and followed it up with the appointment of new deputies to head the marketing communications company’s agencies in the country.


We caught up with Tyler Turnbull, global CEO of the FCB Group, on his first India visit after the rejig and spoke to him about his vision for the local market. 


Edited excerpts:


This is your first visit to the country in 2024. How have the past few months been for FCB?


We are coming off a very strong 2023 globally. And I think the reason for that is because of our people and our belief in the economic power of creativity. And so when you think about the work that we have been able to develop for some of the world's biggest brands, we are proving day in and day out the results that we can drive in today's climate.


When I think about what we've done here in India in the last three to four months, we have obviously brought in a new group level CEO in Dheeraj… And we have four incredible agencies here that have really hit their stride. We have had one of our most successful quarters in India in our history. We've seen incredible growth through new business wins and launching new work across brands like Google, like Tata EV and many others.


Dheeraj Sinha took charge as CEO six months ago. So what is his six-month report card like?


The type of energy that he brings is great. And when I was looking for our new leader, I wanted someone who first and foremost believed in creative as much as I do. And secondly, I wanted someone who had a track record of building great teams and great agencies. And third, someone who has a modern view of what clients want and where clients are going.


And Dheeraj had the perfect blend of creative passion, technology experience and a data-driven mindset as a former planner and strategist. His first six months have been phenomenal. He is bringing in incredible talent from inside India as well as outside. He's really brought together our four agencies in an incredible way. So if I were to give him a grade, I would definitely give him an ‘A’.


When you joined the FCB Group as CEO of Canada, you were known as the turnaround guy – from 35th rank, you brought the agency to the top. Do you expect Dheeraj to be the turnaround guy for India?


I wouldn't say we're in a turnaround here in the same situation that I was certainly in a number of years ago. We're much stronger from a creative perspective and a team perspective. What Dheeraj can do in the next couple of years is really define for our clients how to show up and how to partner with the proper agency ecosystem.


What I've seen in our other markets around the world is clients today, they want to simplify their model. They want more accountability and they want partners who can provide end-to-end services across the entire marketing mix. And what Dheeraj has been able to do and our teams have been able to do is we can help clients across the entire spectrum of what they are doing in a way that I think is very unique in this market.


What are some of the tasks that you have cut out for the new CEOs that you have roped in for your respective agencies under him?


It starts with the quality of the creative work. We want to be… helping brands do the best work.


And so first and foremost, what we look at globally is: Are we making work that our clients are proud of and that the market loves? And so every agency is very focused on unleashing that creativity, everywhere.


Secondly, we are investing in places where clients are investing, in areas like performance or in social or in technology. We really feel like there's an opportunity to apply creativity there like never before.


And what excites me is the canvas for our creative products has never been larger. But I think in many ways we haven't reached it as an industry in areas like social or influencer or CX/UX in the same way that we have in others.


So bolstering those areas is something that you are looking forward to?


We launched FCB/SIX here in India just over 10 months ago – the growth of that unit specifically has been phenomenal in India and around the world. And really, the premise for that was helping clients who have taken big platforms and implementations like Salesforce and apply a more creative lens to their communications within those platforms.


Is the FCB Group participating in any of the 64-65 elections in different countries in terms of representing a political party?


We do not do political advertising worldwide, both at the FCB level and at IPG.


Any reason to shy away from political advertising?


It's just that we have specialists within our PR world in different communication areas that I think are more focused in those spaces. From an FCB perspective, we really want to represent the consumer. And I think we've seen polarisation, certainly of side-taking, in different markets. And I think many brands today want to appeal to a wide base of consumers, not just a specific subset that aligns themselves to a political party.


We heard rumours that the group in India was approached by a certain political party?


(laughs) I can't comment on that.


Moving away from politics, tell us your opinion on AI and its impact on advertising.


AI will be massive – there’s no understating that. How we've been thinking about it from an FCB perspective is how to have the right foundation in place to drive the fundamental change that AI will have. Creatively, it's very easy. Right now as an industry, we need to focus on tactical ways AI may be helping to conceive an idea or produce a specific piece of work. I view it as much more foundational.


AI is going to impact really three areas across our agency. First is the workforce. Second is the workplace. And third is our work itself. And so from a workforce perspective, we have been very focused on training and having enterprise-wide partnerships with some of the major platforms so that people can start to experiment and get a sense of how that could impact.


In the workplace, we're really focused on a lot of the foundational elements that AI could impact. For example, right now we have very labour-intensive parts of our process scoping for new business or responses. We are making our own custom FCB LLMs now, taking all of our best kind of work from around the world and giving our people a faster kind of shorthand, answer to some of those questions.


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/kinnecting-with-gratitude-for-life-says-chandni-shah-fcb-kinnect-25811.htm">Kinnecting with gratitude for life, says Chandni Shah, FCB Kinnect</a>

FCB Global CEO Turnbull would give Dheeraj Sinha ‘A’ grade

Shouvik Roy, who led Goat Brand Labs as chief of brand marketing and will continue to lead brand marketing in a consultative capacity, has been appointed by S4 Capital’s Media.Monks India as a leader to spearhead business transformation. Roy will closely work with Media.Monks India’s managing director, Robert Godinho to steer the organisation into becoming India’s biggest creative tech-led content company. 


Storyboard18 caught up with Roy and Godinho in an exclusive interaction where they touched upon the business structure of a digital and marketing agency, Roy’s current responsibilities, mood of the brands or advertisers during the season of IPL and elections, and a lot more. 

Edited Excerpts


How has the business structure and functioning of a digital and marketing agency evolved over a period? What are the pros and cons that have come alongside the changes witnessed over the years?


Roy: The digital agency ecosystem has rapidly evolved in the past decade in response to the changing tech and gadget landscape and the change in consumer behaviour. It has offered newer opportunities to all its participants and kept everyone on their toes. Staying relevant has needed agencies to unlearn and relearn at an unprecedented pace. 


Even what sometimes starts as a fad, when accepted by a substantial number of consumers, becomes a new pivot for digital storytelling and offers a fresh canvas for all the ecosystem participants.


What is driving business transformation now and in the future? What role do agencies play in this transformation?

 
Roy: Performance gaps have always been the main stimulus for business transformation. However, today, the speed and turbulence caused by the constant changes around us are forcing most scaled, global organisations to regroup.

Agencies are best equipped to offer an objective outside-in perspective to partner businesses. Businesses are looking at agencies to bring fresh thinking and shorten their innovation cycles.


Where do AI and creative tech sit in this transformation?

Godinho: Immersive experiences combined with data expertise define our industry's future. Data has been much talked about for over a decade now. On the other hand, creative tech is a relatively newer subject of discussion that not too many boardrooms are discussing today. 

Creative tech combines Computing, Design, Art, and human behaviour — thus leading to more compelling narratives. This is where the real transformative journey starts. We have just about begun to scratch the surface of AI at an enterprise level. The future is promising and will be exciting for those of us who are willing to be wrong most of the time. Creative Tech and AI are transformative and are the current new narratives to counter the turbulence caused by the constant changes around us.


Building a brand and crafting compelling campaigns takes time and effort. Joining Media.Monks, what are going to be your responsibilities and how are you going to transform the business landscape of Media.Monks?


Roy: Yes, indeed. At Media.Monks I will be working with the team to steer the organisation into becoming India’s biggest creative tech-led content company, one that is driven by big ideas and an even bigger scale of impact in the digital world. 

Our industry is all about people — and Media.Monks is blessed with some of the best tech-forward talent in India. The two immediate challenges are building and solidifying the team and working with global and scaled organisations. Agility and evolution will be our only constants. We will lead the future of big-brand storytelling in India.


You have been on the agency side as well as on the client side. How have expectations pertaining to building brands and meeting business targets evolved over a period? How have the learnings on both these sides helped you solidify your understanding pertaining to consumer expectations?

Roy: I think on either side, the challenges have mostly always been on quality, efficiency and impact. Brand building takes time, and takes many minds and many partners to shape. Whichever side you are in — you always know what you are missing and always look for complementary skill sets. 

Having worked on D2C brands in the past few years, I have found that some of the best talent in India is fragmented and independent. If one needs to build a digital-first narrative for brands it is almost impossible to find one partner who can cater to the diverse sets of needs. 

Consumers haven’t fundamentally changed much — but their behaviours and habits have changed at an unprecedented rate. To keep up — big storytelling has to have many legs led by tech to stand on. Otherwise, one gets missed very easily.


This is the season of IPL and general elections. What is the mood of the brands or advertisers during this period, and what are their expectations from agencies when it comes to crafting campaigns?

 
Godinho: I think everyone has big expectations from this season — there are more eyeballs to grab and the challenge of building compelling narratives across platforms has been felt by one and all. Agencies are expected to deliver newness and freshness more than ever before. 

 
When it comes to new-age brands and established brands, how different are their expectations when it comes to building brands, crafting campaigns, and helping them meet business expectations?

 
Roy: New-age brands are more ready to experiment but are also in a bigger hurry. Established brands are also experimenting much more now and are very willing adopters of the new—however, this is done in a planned way throughout the year. They believe in measurability, and the metrics of success and failure are better defined.


How important is India as a market for Media.Monks?

 
Godinho: India stands as a strategic focal point for Media.Monks, recognising its immense potential as a burgeoning market. With significant investments and expansions witnessed across various industries by global players, India's economic landscape is experiencing remarkable growth. Moreover, the impending elections in the country are poised to further impact market dynamics, presenting both challenges and opportunities for businesses. 


The abundance of talent and creative prowess in India, coupled with the nation's expanding economic landscape, Media.Monks is committed to extending its collaborative approach to cater to the unique needs of businesses expanding in India. 


By offering tailored solutions and creative expertise, Media.Monks aims to contribute to India's digital evolution, driving innovation and growth for clients across industries.


How important is the strategy of performance marketing for a digital marketing agency and building a brand?

 
Roy: Performance, growth, and brand marketing have been seen in different buckets. But more and more CMOs have come to realise the strategic importance of perf marketing and how brand marketing can also positively impact ROI on a sustained basis. This is a current and very hot area of debate. 

I believe that everything a brand says or does builds or weakens a brand. So, as a CMO, it is critical to be involved in building out the performance marketing strategy for all brands in the portfolio.


How cluttered is the digital marketing space today? And what are the challenges plaguing this arena? How does Media.Monks stand out?


Roy: Certain services in the digital domain that were once niche offerings now occupy the lower end of the digital pyramid. Media.Monks focuses on creative tech-led offerings powered by big ideas/storytelling and immersive experiences that are crafted well. 


What are the steps in place to clear the roadblocks?

Godinho: There are excellent plans to nurture and grow the current talent pool at Media.Monks. We are in the process of onboarding some of the best future-ready talent available to us. Media.Monks APAC and global leadership are playing an active role in partnering with us here in India. We remain cautiously optimistic about 2024 and very optimistic about 2025 and beyond.


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/media-monks-india-appoints-shouvik-roy-to-spearhead-business-transformation-29497.htm">Media.Monks India appoints Shouvik Roy to spearhead business transformation</a>

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