MAM
Starcom MediaVest launches OOH agency ‘Vector’
MUMBAI: Starcom MediaVest Group has launched a new out-of-home agency ‘Vector‘.
Headquartered in Mumbai, the agency will operate as a division of Starcom MediaVest Group with operations in all the metros.
Navia Asia CEO India Sanjay Shah will take up additional responsibility as Vector CEO. The agency has appointed Sriram Iyer as COO. Iyer will be supported by India head (North & East) Abhishek Singh and India head (West & South) Rakesh Srivastav.
Meanwhile, sister agency Navia Asia, which manages the OOH needs of clients of all VivaKi media brands in India as well as its own AOR clients, will continue to operate independently.
Starcom MediaVest Group CEO South Asia Ravi Kiran says, “The OOH industry is gaining momentum after seeing some difficult times in the past one year. Despite the difficult period, Navia Asia had a steady growth. Inspired by this, we decided to create a brand new unit, with its own vision, leadership and operating processes. Vector will be the newest entrant and will start with a team of 15 professionals and two clients.”
“The OOH industry with new technologies and international tools for measurement among other modern frameworks is bound to take great leaps in the way brands advertise,” says Shah.
Adds Iyer, “With Vector we are creating a new approach to the way OOH business is done in the country. We will offer clients a 360 degree experiential solution and stay ahead of the curve by being agile and state of the art.”
Vector will collaborate with Navia in several areas aimed at bringing greater transparency and accountability to OOH and Ambient Marketing as a discipline and enhancing return on client investment and objectives.
These include customisation and application of international tools and best practices, development of India specific planning and measurement frameworks, import and application of new OOH display and production technologies, development and licensing of IP based ideas and structured assets and technology enabled near-real time monitoring & tracking systems and management dashboards.
AD Agencies
Prakash Nair reportedly quits Ogilvy after 23 years
One of the agency’s longest-serving leaders has moved on, with his next destination still unknown
MUMBAI: After more than two decades at one address, Prakash Nair has left the building. The president and head of office, north at Ogilvy has moved on from the agency, according to highly placed industry sources. His next move remains unknown. Ogilvy did not respond to requests for comment.
Nair spent over 23 years at the agency, making him one of its longest-serving senior figures. He was elevated to lead the Gurugram office in April 2022, a role that put him at the helm of Ogilvy’s northern operations at a time of considerable churn across the advertising industry.
Before taking charge in the capital, Nair served as associate president at Ogilvy Mumbai, where he worked on some of the agency’s most prized accounts, including Mondelez, Tata Motors, and BP Castrol. Over the years, he built a reputation for driving modern, integrated, and award-winning work, the kind that wins metals at Cannes and keeps clients from straying.
His departure was marked in style. A farewell gathering was held in Delhi, attended by senior figures from across the advertising fraternity, a signal of the regard in which Nair is held in an industry that does not always pause to say goodbye properly.
Where he goes next is the question the industry is now asking. After 23 years at one of the world’s most storied agencies, the answer, when it comes, will be worth watching.
