AD Agencies
dentsu India makes merry in 2024
MUMBAI: It’s been a dramatic turnaround of sorts for dentsu India’s media practice – the calendar year 2024 that’s just ended. The agency has added 80 brands to its portfolio and achieved a remarkable 10 per cent growth in billings.
This accomplishment marks a strong recovery from the previous year’s challenges and sets a goal for ambitious double-digit organic growth in 2025.
The success can be attributed to dentsu’s unique blend of marketing, technology, and consulting, which has driven innovation and impactful results.
“This year has been transformative,” stated dentsu CEO south Asia Harsha Razdan. He pointed out to the use of cutting-edge technology and data insights that helped it enhance its core offerings and unlock new growth opportunities.
Added dentsu Media south Asia CEO Anita Kotwani : “Our success hinges on delivering measurable results for our clients. With data-driven insights, we continuously adapt to market demands and strive to set new benchmarks.”
Throughout the year, dentsu focused on strengthening client relationships and acquiring new marquee brands, including General Insurance Council, LG Electronics, Skechers, Flipkart, Myntra, and Amazon Seller Services, Akasa Air, Vero Moda, Sintex, Amazon Seller Services, CK Birla Healthcare, Kotak Mutual Fund, Ardex Endura, Shopper Stop, D DÉCOR, Godrej Properties, HAMDARD, Tata Mutual Fund, Tata Realty, Quick Heal Technologies, Unity Small Finance Bank, Meesho, Waree Energies, Vi-John, Berger Paints, Suzuki, and Be-Rite (Gemini Edibles & Fats), among others.
The agency’s array of solutions spans traditional and digital media, performance marketing, influencer campaigns, and out-of-home (OOH) advertising. dentsu’s Media Innovations & Solutions team also made notable advancements in branded content, influencer marketing, gaming, and sports, registering a fourfold increase in the business. Collaborative efforts with companies like Meta and Google led to the development of global capabilities in consumer intelligence and retail products.
The agency introduced some tools in 2024 which gave it that edge over others, leading to higher client satisfaction and acquisition. These included Retail Media, Performance Practice 2.0, Total Commerce and Spark—an advanced marketing mix modeling tool. With its offerings broadened, dentsu Media achieved some outstanding results, particularly with dentsu Retail experiencing fivefold growth.
The Media Practice’s integrated approach, highlighted by the proprietary Media++ Framework, has established dentsu as the industry leader, providing comprehensive strategies for every customer journey stage.
“We are targeting a higher double-digit organic growth in 2025,” said Harsha. “Our focus remains on raising the bar, delivering breakthroughs, and staying true to dentsu’s global vision of Innovating to Impact.”
With that kind of commitment in place, competitors and the industry had better keep a sharp eye on dentsu’s moves in 2025. For the agency is sure learning to dance and make its clients dance to its market- and customer-winning advertising and marketing solutions tunes. And it’s learning it pretty fast under its new leader Harsha and team dentsu India. .
AD Agencies
WPP appoints Hephzibah Pathak CEO of WPP Creative India
Ogilvy India chair takes charge of unified creative model in key market
NEW DELHI: WPP has appointed Hephzibah Pathak as chief executive officer of WPP Creative India, putting a local leader at the helm of its newly created creative operating model in one of its most important growth markets.
The move brings clarity to how WPP’s global restructuring will play out in India, weeks after the group unveiled WPP Creative as part of its Elevate28 strategy. The unit sits alongside WPP Media, WPP Production and WPP Enterprise Solutions, and is designed to simplify what the company previously described as an overly complex structure.
Pathak, who continues as executive chairperson of Ogilvy India, will represent all agencies under the WPP Creative umbrella in India. Her role centres on driving integration across brands, expanding capabilities and ensuring clients can tap into the network’s full talent pool without friction.
WPP said Pathak will work closely with agency brand CEOs to “enhance integration, expand capabilities, and ensure seamless client access”, while maintaining the distinct identities of its agencies.
The portfolio under WPP Creative includes leading networks such as VML, Landor, AKQA and Grey, along with Burson and its affiliated firms. Leaders across these agencies will now report into Pathak, even as each brand continues to operate independently within a unified system.
The appointment also formalises a dual-track strategy in India, preserving agency identities while accelerating collaboration. Pathak is expected to work closely with media leadership to align creative and media capabilities, reflecting growing client demand for integrated, multi-market solutions.
WPP Creative global CEO Jon Cook has described the unit as “not an agency” but an operating system that helps creative, design and PR brands work together more effectively. The group has been clear that it is not merging or phasing out legacy agency brands, instead aiming to reduce complexity on the client side.
Pathak brings nearly three decades of experience within the network, having joined in 1997 and held roles ranging from Mumbai office head to chief client officer. She made history in 2024 as the first woman to lead Ogilvy India in its 95-year presence in the country.
Her expanded mandate positions India at the centre of WPP’s Asia-Pacific strategy, with a focus on strengthening brand presence, deepening client relationships and unlocking growth in a fast-evolving market.
The appointment signals WPP’s intent to move beyond the traditional holding company model towards a more integrated, AI-enabled structure. With Pathak now steering WPP Creative India, the group appears set to test whether simpler structures can indeed deliver sharper creative outcomes.
