AD Agencies
Elevating client engagement: The focus on immersive experiences at Brew: GroupM South Asia’s Vinit Karnik
Mumbai: GroupM unveiled ‘Brew’- its premier content upfront event, exclusively for clients on the 16th. The day-long event brought together several leading partners from the content industry and over 150 brand managers and marketing heads, across categories.
The ‘Brew’ lineup was a mix of formats that included TV, Radio, Digital video and native content. The ideas/properties presented were exclusive and had never been presented in any other forum. Over 20 such presentations were made in the course of the day and clients had the option of going online and registering their bid for it immediately after a presentation. The collective worth of the properties presented at Brew 2016 exceeds Rs 65 Cr (about $10 Million). Each of the properties was bid for by multiple clients.
On the sidelines of the event, Indiantelevision.com caught up with GroupM South Asia head sports, esports and entertainment Vinit Karnik.
On asking as to how different and innovative was Brew this year, which is an IP of GroupM, which focuses on sports, entertainment, eSports, and content. Vinit mentioned that the emphasis this year was on creating immersive experiences for clients. These experiences included VR sessions, an Esports tournament, and the use of 3D anamorphic displays. The goal was to provide attendees with a deeper and more engaging understanding of the content and experiences offered.
Vinit Karnik shared his insights on the current landscape of live sports streaming in India, touching on Linear TV, Connected TV, and Digital platforms. He expressed that the changes in the industry aren’t as drastic as they might seem, considering the ongoing transition from analogue to satellite TV, digital, and now, streaming on multiple screens. The key takeaway is that consumer choice has expanded, enabling a broader audience to engage with sports content, which ultimately benefits the sports industry.
When discussing what brands consider before investing in Linear TV or Digital platforms for better ROI, Vinit emphasized that TV is here to stay, with significant room for growth in both connected TV and OTT. TV hasn’t reached all households yet, and the penetration of smartphones in rural India shows potential for further consumption of audio and video content. He also highlighted the ambitious plans for sports in India, including a bid for the Olympics in 2036, showing the nation’s growing interest and investment in sports.
Regarding the reach of the esports market in India, Vinit acknowledged that it is still in its early stages. He explained that the Indian esports market is not yet comparable to the global market, which competes with live sports. However, India is making progress, and with continued effort and learning, it will likely catch up and become a significant player in the esports world. The goal is to showcase how esports tournaments can be built and scaled to match global standards.
AD Agencies
Publicis Brazil’s creative chief Mauro Ramalho lands the jury chair at Abby Awards 2026
Mauro Ramalho brings 25 years of global advertising firepower to the new creative commerce, use of data and B2B category at Goafest
GOA: The Abby Awards 2026, powered by The One Club and The One Show, has appointed Mauro Ramalho, chief creative officer of Publicis Brazil, as jury chair for its newly launched creative commerce, use of data and B2B category. The announcement, made on 18 March, signals the awards’ intent to bring serious international muscle to a category that sits squarely at the intersection of creativity and commercial performance.
Ramalho is not a name that needs much introduction in global advertising circles. Over 25 years spanning three countries, he has worked at some of the industry’s most creatively restless addresses. At AKQA in San Francisco, he worked across McDonald’s, Nike, Fox, Target, Kraft Foods and GAP, and helped lead “The Lost Ring” for McDonald’s, one of the first alternate reality campaigns and among the most awarded projects of its era. He later moved to Organic in Toronto, bridging the Detroit and Toronto offices on Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler, before spending over a decade building CUBOCC into one of Brazil’s most iconic and innovative independent agencies, which subsequently joined the IPG network.
A stint at FCB followed, where Ramalho led integrated work bridging online and offline, before he joined R/GA São Paulo as vice-president and executive creative director, stitching together the São Paulo office with New York, London, Portland and California on global clients including Verizon, Google, Meta, Samsung, American Express and Heineken. He now heads Publicis Brazil as its chief creative officer.
His trophy cabinet includes Clios, Effies, TikTok awards and MMA Smarties, and he has served on juries at the Andys, TikTok and the Lisbon Awards.
The Abby Awards 2026 is scheduled to take place at Goafest 2026 on 20, 21 and 22 May in Goa.
For Indian advertising, landing a jury chair of Ramalho’s calibre for a category built around data-driven creativity and commerce is a statement of ambition. Goafest just raised its own bar.
