MAM
Starcom targets 15 Oct. launch for sports agency Relay Worldwide
MUMBAI: “We are not launching a sports marketing company (a la IMG, PMG, Procam), we’re launching a sports agency,” the core team behind Starcom MediaVest Group’s pathbreaking initiative – Relay Worldwide – emphasise, clearly drawing the distinction.
Tentatively planned for a formal launch around 15 October, Relay Worldwide is envisioned as a specialised sports agency that will enable marketers to leverage the full potential of sports as a medium, according to Pranay Anthwal, who has been hired with the specific brief to develop Starcom’s sports arm as an independent revenue stream. Based in Mumbai, Anthwal will will look after the responsibility for all of India working in close coordination with Manish Porwal, Starcom’s GM – Investment and New Initiatives.
A key service that Relay will be providing is a continuous track ranking India’s most popular sports persons. HRG (Hansa Research Group) has been assigned the task of data mining and according to Porwal, “It is the first step towards bringing a formal knowledge base and accountability in the medium called sports.”
The rankings would be based on a sample size of around 20,000 people per month and would be representative of almost the entire country. Both cricketers and non-cricketers, separately, would be ranked.
Through this a relative index of each sportsperson’s popularity will be calibrated enabling the industry to be able to figure out the qualitative differences (in popularity) across demographic and geographic segments.
One of the definitive ways it will help is in choosing the endorsers for brands and ascertaining the attractiveness / popularity of the alternative choices one might have, says Porwal. “A brand which is North-India centric might decide to pick the sportsperson quite popular in the north but not really a hit in rest of India and therefore have a much focussed investment just as he would do when he chooses vehicles on television or in the press,” Porwal clarifies.
It’s taken Relay Worldwide 18 months or so from conceptualisation to where it has reached today. According to Porwal, “The partnership formation process is underway and we are talking to at least half a dozen potential organizations, in the area of PR, event implementation, programming and TV broadcast. We already have about eight distinct products under incubation and we intend approaching sponsors for these soon.”
“Our range of product offerings will include development of sports marketing strategy for clients (including tournament sponsorships, endorsements, clinics, sales promotion, trade motivation programs, creating ownable media properties, merchandising, syndication, broadcast), development of decision making frameworks, audit and evaluation systems, creation of new products and supervision of implementation,” says Porwal.
The Relay project in India is a first for Starcom outside the US and if successful, will be replicated in other profit centres in the Australasian region.
Starcom expects many agencies to join the fray in the next three-four years. If the concept catches on the way Starcom hopes it will, the total estimated marketing investment in sports, which today is Rs 3.5 billion, could double to Rs 7 billion in the next four years, says Anthwal.
Brands
Big Bowl appoints Lyxel & Flamingo as social and media partner
QSR brand eyes next growth phase after crossing Rs 100 crore ARR milestone
MUMBAI: Big Bowl, one of India’s largest bowl-format quick service restaurant brands from Lenexis Foodworks, has appointed Lyxel & Flamingo (L&F) as its social and media partner as it prepares for its next phase of growth.
The partnership comes after the brand crossed the Rs 100 crore annual recurring revenue milestone in 2025 and aims to help accelerate its journey towards Rs 150 crore ARR in its fifth year since launch.
Big Bowl currently operates more than 250 kitchens across 50 cities and has emerged as a major player in India’s organised bowl-format food segment. Built around hearty portions and delivery-first convenience, the brand offers a wide mix of Indian, Chinese and fusion bowls designed for quick, affordable and portable consumption.
As urban consumers increasingly gravitate towards easy-to-carry and value-driven meal formats, the company sees the bowl category as a scalable format aligned with modern eating habits.
With the appointment of Lyxel & Flamingo, Big Bowl plans to consolidate its social media and digital media operations under a single partner. The move is intended to sharpen its digital reach, strengthen youth-focused storytelling and improve performance marketing outcomes.
Lyxel & Flamingo, one of India’s largest independent digital-first agencies, manages more than 350 brands and oversees advertising spends exceeding $100 million across its network.
Under the mandate, the agency will handle Big Bowl’s social media strategy, content development, digital performance marketing, media planning and buying, as well as campaign amplification across platforms.
Commenting on the partnership, Lenexis Foodworks founder and director Aayush Madhusudan Agrawal said, “Big Bowl has scaled rapidly to cross Rs 100 crore ARR and established itself as one of the largest bowl-format brands in the country. As a delivery-first, digitally native brand, our next phase of growth will be driven by sharper performance systems and stronger brand storytelling. Consolidating social and media with Lyxel & Flamingo allows us to integrate data, creativity and media precision as we scale towards our next revenue milestone.”
Lenexis Foodworks marketing head Vikas Iyer, added that the delivery-led category requires content, media and performance marketing to work closely together.
“With Lyxel & Flamingo, we aim to build a sharper social voice, stronger acquisition systems and measurable impact, ensuring the brand scales not just in presence but also in precision,” he said.
Lyxel & Flamingo chief executive officer Dev Batra, said the agency will combine data-driven marketing with creative storytelling to support Big Bowl’s growth. “Big Bowl brings the flavour, and L&F brings the fire. Our strategy combines data-led performance with engaging storytelling to help build a strong digital brand presence while delivering measurable business results,” he said.
With this partnership, Big Bowl is looking to strengthen its position as a digitally driven QSR brand, blending brand-building with performance marketing as it scales within India’s rapidly growing organised food delivery market.
