MAM
Sears, Roebuck & Co. severs 43-year old tie with O&M; consolidates account with Y&R
MUMBAI: Sears, Roebuck and Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation, has decided to move away from its 43-year long creative agency Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide. The company will now be consolidating all advertising for the retailer and its brands under one agency — Young & Rubicam, which is also a member of the WPP Group like O&M.
The new arrangement will come into effect from 1 October, 2005 and is designed to deliver a more focused and consistent brand message to customers. The account is pegged at $640 million.
The announcement follows agency presentations, during which Sears, Roebuck asked its two principal agencies, Y&R and O&M Worldwide, for proposals to integrate the account and reinvent the collaborative process to enhance value and improve speed to market.
“The single-mindedness with which we are pursuing our goal of restoring Sears to preeminence requires a similar focus in our agency partnerships,” said Sears Retail president of merchandising and marketing Luis Padilla.
“Both firms presented persuasive proposals, but we are in constant pursuit of new approaches to better connect with and profitably serve customers as one company with extensive capabilities,” Padilla added.
Under a service agreement between Sears and Y&R, the marketing communications agency will have advertising responsibility for the Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard brands, as well as non-product Sears, Roebuck and Co. advertising. This includes broadcast creative and production, motor sports, multicultural marketing, customer relationship management and thought leadership. The agreement does not cover media planning or buying, which will continue to be with MindShare.
Brands
Hiili names Sanjay Hemady as country manager India
Media veteran to drive digital decarbonisation push
MUMBAI: Climate tech firm Hiili has announced its entry into India, appointing industry veteran Sanjay Hemady as India country manager to steer its growth in one of the world’s fastest-expanding digital markets.
Hemady, a familiar name across India’s media and consulting circles, will lead Hiili’s India operations from Mumbai. His mandate is clear: help Indian companies measure, manage and reduce the carbon emissions generated by their digital services.
Hiili offers a scientifically validated platform, certified by the UC3M-Santander Big Data Institute, that enables businesses to improve the efficiency of their digital infrastructure while cutting emissions. As organisations race to meet ESG targets, the company positions itself as a practical bridge between climate pledges and measurable action.
“I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as country manager, India at Hiili,” Hemady said in a LinkedIn post, adding that the company aims to move beyond broad sustainability promises towards precise, science-based decarbonisation.
Hemady brings more than three decades of experience spanning print, television, radio and digital media. He has previously served as chief executive officer at HIT 95 FM, assistant general manager at CNBC TV18, and held leadership roles at MTV India and The Indian Express, among others. Most recently, he worked as an independent business consultant advising firms across media and technology.
With India’s digital economy expanding at pace, the environmental cost of data, streaming and online services is climbing quietly in the background. Hiili’s bet is that carbon efficiency will soon sit alongside cost efficiency in boardroom conversations.
For Hemady, the move marks a shift from selling airtime and ad inventory to championing climate accountability. If successful, Hiili’s India play could make digital growth not just faster, but cleaner too.
