CVL Srinivas, former CEO-Asia Pacific, Maxus, has been appointed CEO of SureWaves, a new generation media convergence company. SureWaves is introducing media convergence solutions that facilitate combining TV content with web, out-of-home displays and mobile phones in a unique manner. These solutions are targeted at organisations in retail, transport, hospitality, retail banking, health care, expos and government projects, where a customised communication channel to drive customer or viewer engagement is beneficial.

SureWaves has also got some other senior people on board, including Tushar Vyas, who recently quit as Head of GroupM India’s Digital Division. Vyas has joined as VP-Business Solutions. Among the others who have joined SureWaves recently are Sanchit Sanga, Rajendra Dwivedi and Prabhvir Sahmey, all from GroupM. While the technology team is based in Bangalore, the rest of SureWaves team would be based in Delhi and Mumbai.

Srinivas was with Maxus, a GroupM media agency, for three years. Prior to Maxus, he was with Madison as COO-North and South for five and a half years. He has also worked with Fulcrum for four years, and Lintas for a year. Srinivas began his career with the TVS Group in Bangalore, where he spent two years.

Rajendra Khare, Chairman and MD, SureWaves, said, “SureWaves enables an advertiser or brand owner to better target consumers, ensuring that advertising using this visual medium is not only more effective in attracting the attention of the right people at the right time, but is also more cost effective.”

Srinivas added, “Digital OOH screens have already become a blindspot. We are trying to build engagement not only through our contextual and real time content, but through interactivity as well.”

Another very unique feature is the ability of customers to interact with the screens via their mobile phones. Using Bluetooth technology, SureWaves screens not only educate the customers, but also engage them by allowing a two-way interaction with the screen.

The company has plans to provide its content management and interactivity solutions to existing OOH display networks, both in India and abroad. Said Srinivas, “This is a nascent medium around the world. Like in any medium, driving viewer engagement is the key to success. We believe that we have the right technology combined with a good understanding of how such media get consumed. We are open to partnering existing networks to help them realise higher revenues via our more engaging solution.”

SureWaves, a group company of Bangalore-based IndusEdge Innovations, is also positioned to partner existing OOH display networks by creating a network of networks using its unique solutions, and driving higher levels of viewer engagement. The company has been founded by Rajendra Khare, former MD of Broadcom India, and Founder Chairman of Indian Semiconductor Association (ISA), along with Ravi Bhatt, former Head of Nokia’s R&D Centre and Co-founder of Amber Networks, Anant Kansal and Tapan Datta.