MAM
Mindshare gets maximum shortlists at Media Abbys 2013
MUMBAI: GroupM‘s Mindshare leads the Media Abbys shortlist this year with 20 entries from India and one entry from Sri Lanka.
IPG Mediabrands India‘s Lodestar UM follows with 16 entries, while GroupM‘s Maxus falls one short to be a close third. Madison Pinnacle has the fourth highest shortlisted entries with 14.
The Media Abbys has a record 660 entries this year (beating last year‘s record of 628 entries) across 18 categories. The thrust is on digital with 260 entries coming from this medium. The rest 400 entries were from TV, Print, Radio, OOH and Branded Content.
It was perhaps the result of Media Abby chairman Ashish Bhasin‘s foresight to further divide the digital category into Digital Search, Social Media, Display, Content, Medium and Mobile. The other categories for Media Abby Awards include Best Use of TV, Cinema, Newspapers, Outdoor, Special Events, Radio, Sponsorship, Branded Content, Mixed Media, Youth Marketing, Pro Bono, and South Asia Mixed Media.
Speaking at the announcement of the Media Abbys shortlist, Bhasin said, “We realised that having one broad category for digital is not fair. The medium is fast catching on to traditional media and has a lot of variety within itself. Comparing a mobile campaign with a website design is like comparing apples to oranges. So we thought of creating the sub categories and giving the different aspects of digital a fair chance to compete.”
Bhasin also stressed that this year nearly 50 agencies (big and small) participated in the Media Abbys, of which 27 agencies feature in the shortlist. “It is heartening to see that even independent and upcoming agencies are willing to participate. This year has seen a very encouraging participation from the entire industry,” Bhasin added.
Apart from adding sub categories to the Media Abbys, this year was also the first time that the entire judging process was digital. Each jury member was given a laptop with headphones to see the case studies. The scores were entered online which were then collected on a common server and compiled. The entries for the awards were required on a USB drive rather than the usual hard copies.
“We wanted to make the process as efficient as possible. By going digital, we have increased the transparency and are also doing our bit for the environment by saving paper,” explained Bhasin.
The final judging process for the Media Abby Awards will be held on the 8 March 8 and the Media Awards will be held on 5 April 5 along with Digital, Design and Direct.
Brands
Oyo parent Prism appoints former Sebi chief Ajay Tyagi to Board
Former market regulator joins Prism to strengthen governance for IPO
NEW DELHI: Prism, the parent entity of Oyo, has appointed former Sebi chairman Ajay Tyagi as an independent director, as the hospitality firm gears up for its planned Rs 6,650 crore initial public offering (IPO).
Tyagi, a 1984-batch IAS officer, served as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) from 2017 to 2022. His appointment is aimed at strengthening the company’s governance framework and providing strategic oversight as it moves closer to a public listing.
He joins a high-profile board that already includes several prominent names from global business and policy circles. These include Troy Matthew Alstead, former CFO and group president of Starbucks; Aditya Ghosh, co-founder of Akasa Air; Deepa Malik, paralympic athlete and Padma Shri awardee; William Steve Albrecht, professor of accountancy at Utah State University; and Bejul Somaia, partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners.
Prism founder Ritesh Agarwal, said Tyagi’s experience in capital markets regulation and public-institution stewardship will be critical as the company scales operations and enhances long-term accountability.
The company recently filed preliminary papers with Sebi to raise Rs 6,650 crore through a confidential route. Market sources estimate its valuation will be in the range of $7 billion to $8 billion.
Over the course of his career, Tyagi has held senior roles in the ministry of finance, where he oversaw investment policy and financial-sector reforms. His induction to the Prism board signals a renewed focus on aligning the company’s internal standards with the stringent requirements of public markets as it advances toward its IPO.
