Wavemaker India has retained the media mandate of Pernod Ricard India. Wavemaker has been associated with the brand since 2002 as its media partner. Wavemaker retained the business after a competitive multi-agency pitch. 

As a part of the mandate, Wavemaker will oversee all services throughout the marketing funnel. Wavemaker’s Delhi office will continue to service the media mandate.

Kartik Mohindra, Chief Marketing Officer, Pernod Ricard India said, “Wavemaker showcased a solid vision that is aligned to our values and transformational journey striving for greater impact, innovation, and efficiency. It included a robust future facing strategy, team structure, processes, new technology integration and enhanced data science capabilities. We are delighted to continue our long and mutually beneficial relationship with them.”

Prasanth Kumar CEO - South Asia, GroupM said, "This is truly a remarkable and exhilarating moment for all of us. We are thankful to the leadership at Pernod Ricard India for their unwavering support. Being consistently acknowledged as a trusted partner brings us deep humility. At Wavemaker and GroupM, we are committed to delivering unmatched excellence and innovative solutions that drive success for Pernod Ricard's esteemed brands.” 

Speaking on retaining the media mandate, Ajay Gupte, CEO - South Asia, Wavemaker said, "This is a moment of pride for all of us at Wavemaker and GroupM. Pernod Ricard India is one of the most prestigious brands we have been associated for more than 2 decades, and it’s an absolute honour for us to continue this relationship further.  The retention is a ratification of our efforts and deep understanding of Pernod Ricard India’s business and our capabilities to deliver innovative solutions in media and marketing communications. I am extremely grateful to Pernod Ricard India for reaffirming their faith in us.”

Commenting on the retention Mansi Datta, Chief Client Officer & Office Head – North & East, Wavemaker India said, “I am falling short of words to express the excitement on retaining the media mandate for Pernod Ricard. We are extremely happy and thrilled to start a new chapter in this next lap of our relationship. Wavemaker and Pernod Ricard India together have created many industry firsts media and content partnerships. We are committed to continue creating unmatched brand solutions and help Pernod Ricard India build stronger consumer connects going forward.”

DistroTV has announced that it is expanding its content offerings to Cloud TV. 

“Now millions of Cloud TV users can stream DistroTV’s impressive and diverse content line-up with 270 channels globally and 180 channels in India for free, anytime on the Cloud TV platform,” the company said in a release.

“We are thrilled to partner with Cloud TV as we expand our presence in India. We are extremely excited to bring Free streaming content to users across all genres and languages. We will continue to provide audiences with the entertainment they crave including the best of Indian and global content to our distribution partners in India,” said Navdeep Saini, co-founder and CEO of DistroScale, parent company of DistroTV. 

“We want to empower the content owners and broadcast partners by expanding their reach and building new streams of revenue in the wake of the growing CTV and mobile ecosystem. This partnership also enables Cloud TV users to get free premium content on their smart TVs,” said Vikas Khanchandani CEO DistroScale, India, SEA and MENA. 

Commenting on the association, Abhijeet Rajpurohit, COO at CloudWalker Streaming Technologies said "We are extremely excited to introduce Free Live TV streaming for to Cloud TV users. TV channels are an integral part of India’s TV viewing habit and our partnership with Distro TV empowers our users to watch Live TV channels without the need of a DTH box or stick. Distro's impressive and diverse library enables users to enjoy a wide range of Global and Regional content directly on the TV homepage.”

Consumer products giant Reckitt has awarded its integrated media mandate to Wavemaker. The development has been confirmed to exchange4media by highly placed sources. The account, which is said to be worth Rs 1600 crore, was earlier with dentsu. dentsu X had been handling the account since 2019. 

The FMCG multinational has marquee brands like Dettol, Mortein, Strepsils, Harpic, among others, in its portfolio and has operations spanning more than 60 countries.

id8 media solutions, an integrated marketing agency, has won the integrated marketing mandate for Amore Gelato. As a part of the partnership, id8 media solutions will drive the strategy for the Creative, Digital, Public Relations and Social Media planning for Amore Gelato, an Italian ice cream brand.

“At id8 media solutions, our core services are built on the grounds of creating meaningful solutions for our partners. We are delighted to lend our expertise to Amore Gelato, a brand that has been born out of a passion and love for creating authentic Italian Gelato and has been serving up these delights since 2006 in India. The key focus will be to engage with our customers across all strata and age groups. We will leverage our expertise in Integrated Marketing to bring awareness of the brand across the country and globally. We have a vision to create India’s first Italian Gelato brand with a nationwide loyal audience.” said Tanya Swetta, CEO and co-founder of id8 media solutions.

Yasser Ali, CEO and Co-founder of Amore Gelato stated “We are happy to announce id8 media solutions as our integrated media partners. They come with a strong experience and a great reputation for delivering exceptional results for over two decades through an integrated marketing approach. Amore Gelato was born out of the passion to bring the authentic taste of Italian gelato to India, we’re excited to work with a team that is just as passionate about their work and look forward to a longstanding and successful association.”

The BW People HR Excellence Summit & Awards 2023, an event dedicated to shaping the future of HR, will take place on May 27th, 2023, starting at 10 a.m. at Aloft, New Delhi, Aerocity.

The summit aims to bring together HR professionals and thought leaders from all domains to explore emerging trends, strategies, and innovations in human resources. With the theme "Unlocking the Future of HR," the event will provide a platform for knowledge sharing, networking, and recognizing excellence in HR practices. 

The BW People HR Excellence Awards 2023 will honour organizations and individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of HR. The awards will celebrate excellence in various categories, including Best HR Strategy, Best Emerging HR Strategy, Best Place of Work, Equal Opportunity Employer, Best HR Team of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, and more.

"This summit is an extraordinary chance for HR professionals to acquire profound insights, exchange innovative ideas, and unveil the cutting-edge trends that will intricately mould the future of HR. We are thrilled to be the hosts of this esteemed event, where we wholeheartedly acknowledge and celebrate the remarkable accomplishments of exceptional HR leaders," said Mr. Talees Rizvi, Director of BW People.

The event will cover panel discussions revolving around 'Navigating the Future of Talent Management: Strategies for Success in the 2030s', 'The Digital Learning Revolution: Transforming L&D for the Future of Work' and other trending topics and there will be Keynote speakers such as Ms Sonica Aron, Founder & CEO of Marching Sheep talking about 'Creating a Human-Centric HR Strategy' and many more. The event will also provide a platform for HR solution providers to showcase their innovative products and services.

For more information, please visit - https://bwevents.co.in/bwpeople/bw-people-hr-excellence-summit-awards-2023/

Reliance Consumer Products Limited, the FMCG arm and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL) has completed the acquisition of 51% controlling stake in Lotus Chocolate Company Limited, the company has said in a press release.

“The stake has been acquired for an aggregate consideration of Rs. 74 crore. The company has subscribed to non-cumulative redeemable preference shares of Lotus for an aggregate consideration of Rs. 25 crore. RCPL has also completed the acquisition of equity shares pursuant to the open offer made under SEBI Takeover Regulations,” read the release.

RCPL has taken sole control of Lotus with effect from May 24, 2023.

In a major milestone, Tribes has acquired full ownership of Ignite and The Max after a 100% stake buyout from DDB Mudra.

Tribes’ journey began in 2015 under the leadership of Gour Gupta. As the former CEO of Clear Channel Mudra and CEO of DDB Mudra Max OOH and Experiential, Gupta acquired Clear Channel's stake in the joint venture with DDB Mudra. With this bold move, he rebranded the company as Ignite Mudra, setting the stage for the emergence of the parent brand—Tribes.

Gour Gupta

Since its inception, Tribes has expanded its portfolio of services, encompassing a diverse range of cutting-edge offerings. In 2018, the agency acquired a 51% stake in DDB Mudra Max, a prominent Experiential & OOH agency, expanding its reach and leveraging a wider network of resources and expertise. The company was rebranded as The Max. 

Now, in a momentous development, Tribes has successfully bought 100% stake from the venture with DDB Mudra, achieving full ownership and control over its operations, signifying a new chapter in the agency's evolution.

"We are thrilled to announce our successful 100% acquisition of Ignite and The Max from  DDB Mudra," said Gour Gupta, Chairman, Tribes. "This strategic move further strengthens our position as India's largest OOH and experiential agency, and we are excited about the opportunities it brings for growth and innovation."

A DDB Mudra Group's spokesperson, meanwhile, said, "We wish Gour and his team the very best in the future. It has been a fruitful partnership and we've done some good work together. As we focus on our core brand, creative and digital businesses, we have been rationalizing our portfolio - starting with the move to a minority holding in this business five years ago. Now that the Max Publicity team is doubling down on their ambitious expansion plans, we are happy to have them take full ownership of our shareholding."

As a fully integrated agency Tribes has a slew of specialist brands under it including Ignite, The Max, Insync, The Tech Company which offer a comprehensive suite of services, including OOH advertising, experiential marketing, activation, digital solutions, and more.

Tribes now has an extensive client roster with over a 100 clients which includes industry giants such as Amazon, Facebook, Google, Honda, Swiggy, Diageo, Michelin, Phillips, OnePlus, Pepsi, Jockey, Yamaha, Kotak Bank, HDFC ERGO, Marks & Spencer, H&M, Godrej, WNS, Aditya Birla, Real Me, HP, Microsoft, Schneider, Government Of India, ITC, Deloitte, PWC, Legrand, MG motors and many more. 

The agency currently has a turnover of Rs 521 crore, revenue of Rs 68 crore and  consolidated capitalized billing of Rs 680 crore.