MAM
The Mindshare Benchstrength:
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An agency’s edge come only with its people. With a total of seven offices , Mindshare’s revenue pie across markets is well distributed. Meet the agency’s general managers who talk about their respective markets and offices: Mindshare Fulcrum GM R Gowthaman: Set up in July 1995, Mindshare Fulcrum this year completed 10 years of being a dedicated secure unit of Unilever in India. Fulcrum started off as a TV buying shop, and by 1998 made headway into other media options as well. In 2000, this dedicated unit went on to become a fully integrated planning and buying shop. The role from 2000 to 2005 was this unit adorning Unilever’s single point agency. Says Gowthaman, “Fulcrum’s single point priority focus is return on investment (ROI). It contributes to 1/4th of Mindhare India’s overall revenue.” Interestingly, the brand name of Fulcrum is unique to India. Says Gowthaman, “Fulcrum buys a total of 150,000 spots every month with an annual turnover of Rs 80-100 million. Mindshare 1 (Mumbai) GM Hiren Pandit: “Mindhare 1 and 2 are separate units in Mumbai. The idea is not to fight but complement each other. The Mumbai market is a more mature market compared to a Delhi, hence the growth is much smaller. New businesses are relatively small, hence even a Rs 70 – 100 million account becomes a large client.” Pandit pointed out that to grow the market, the plan was to raise the bar and go beyond conventional media. Mindshare 1 contributes 18 percent to Mindshare India’s total revenue.  Mindshare 2 (Mumbai) GM Sunitha Gopalakrishnan: This portfolio spans across financial, durables, services, public service, local and international business. Mindshare Delhi GM Sunder Raman: “The Delhi market over the last five years has seen a dramatic growth in the market and over the years will become the single largest market. We’ve always been extremely strong in the Delhi market even before Mindshare came in. The challenge was to make headway into the new emerging categories. Mindshare commands a 25 per cent market share in the Delhi market.” The Delhi market contributes to 25 per of Mindshare’s overall revenue. Mindshare Bangalore & Chennai GM Girish Menon: “Bangalore being an IT city, we have the biggest IT players as clients – IBM and SAP. Both being worldwide clients, what makes it interesting is that we become a part of a larger community. Mindshare India (Bangalore) got the highest score in the multi layered review conducted by IBM worldwide. In Bangalore, the focus is clearly a richer customer contact experience, rather than just the conventional medium. Mindshare enjoys a 45 per cent market share in Bangalore.” In Chennai, Mindshare’s clients include Sun TV and Ford, its market share being 65 per cent in this market. While Bangalore contributes 8 per cent, Chennai contributes a total of 5 percent to the overall revenue pie. Mindshare Kolkata GM Chirantan Chandran: The recent addition to the Mindshare team joined on 8 July. “The Kolkata market is looking up as a lot of small and medium services accounts can be picked up. Real estate and retail as categories will be out priority for the future. Mindshare commands a 20 per cent market share here.” Kolkata contributes 7 per cent of the overall Mindshare revenue pie. |
Brands
33 per cent of women believe the salary scale is rigged: Naukri report
Voices @ Work study finds rising calls for equal pay audits and lingering bias
MUMBAI: Progress may be visible in India’s workplaces, but many women still feel the need to tread carefully. A new report by Naukri reveals that one in two women hesitate to disclose marriage or maternity plans during job interviews, worried that such information could influence hiring decisions.
The findings come from the second edition of Naukri’s annual Voices @ Work International Women’s Day report, titled “What Women Professionals Want.” Drawing insights from more than 50,000 women across over 50 industries, the survey sheds light on evolving workplace aspirations alongside the biases that continue to hold women back.
One of the report’s most striking insights is the growing demand for equal pay audits. The share of women calling for regular pay parity checks has climbed to 27 per cent this year, up from 19 per cent a year ago. The demand now stands alongside menstrual leave as the most sought after workplace policy.
Interestingly, the call for pay transparency grows louder higher up the income ladder. Nearly half of women earning between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1 crore annually say equal pay audits are a priority, suggesting that pay gaps become more visible as women move up the career ladder.
At the same time, confidence and ambition appear to be rising. About 83 per cent of women say they feel encouraged to pursue leadership roles, a significant jump from 66 per cent last year. Cities in southern India appear particularly supportive, with Hyderabad leading the way as 86 per cent of respondents there reported encouragement to step into leadership positions. The education sector recorded the highest sense of encouragement at 87 per cent.
Yet the report also highlights a growing trust deficit around pay equity. Nearly one in three women, or 33 per cent, say they do not believe men and women are paid equally at their workplace. That figure has risen from 25 per cent last year, pointing to widening perceptions of disparity as careers progress.
Bias in hiring and promotions continues to be the biggest hurdle. About 42 per cent of respondents say workplace bias is the main challenge for women from diverse backgrounds. The concern is consistent across major metros, with Chennai and Delhi NCR reporting similar levels.
Reluctance to discuss personal milestones during hiring processes is also widespread. While 34 per cent overall said they hesitate to share marriage or maternity plans in interviews, the anxiety increases with experience. Among professionals with 10 to 15 years of work experience, the figure rises to 40 per cent.
Info Edge group CMO Sumeet Singh, said the data reflects both progress and unfinished work. “Behind every data point in this report is a woman who is ambitious. The fact that 83 per cent feel encouraged to lead is something to celebrate. However, the fact that one in two still hide their marriage or maternity plans in interviews tells us the work is far from done. As India’s leading career platform, it felt not just important but necessary for us to shine a light on these gaps through the second edition of our report,” he said.
The report suggests that while ambition among women professionals is growing, structural changes around pay transparency, fair hiring and supportive policies will be key if workplaces hope to keep pace.
