AD Agencies
Dentsu Group records organic revenue growth of 15% for Q2
New Delhi: Dentsu Group has witnessed a significant rebound in performance for the quarter ended June, recording organic revenue growth of 15 per cent. The Group has announced its results for the first half as well as the second quarter of 2021.
Dentsu Japan Network grew by 12 per cent while Dentsu International registered a growth of 17 per cent, showing strong sequential improvement over Q1 decline of 2.4 per cent.
“As we pass the anniversary of the start of the pandemic, revenues continue to recover across all regions with strong growth in digital solutions. Client confidence is restoring with spending levels more resilient and predictable,” said the group in its earnings statement. “Operating margin improvement continues to exceed expectations, substantially ahead of the prior year, with Q2 improving by 370 basis points year on year, showing the gearing effect of higher revenue together with cost reductions being implemented.”
The Group expects high single-digit organic growth for FY2021, with a line of sight to delivering the long held 2022 margin targets of 20 per cent for Dentsu Japan Network and 15 per cent for Dentsu International one year early.
“Dentsu Group delivered a strong second quarter performance, reflecting the growing consumer and client confidence we see across all regions. Underlying profit growth continues to be strong, exceeding our expectations, and demonstrates our commitment to our margin targets,” said Dentsu Group Inc, CEO and president, Toshihiro Yamamoto.
APAC (excluding Japan) recorded a growth of 3.6 per cent. The APAC region reported double digit growth in the second quarter driven by double digit growth from Australia, Indonesia, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand. EMEA reported 8.7 per cent organic growth in H1, FY21, and 22 per cent in Q2, FY21.
“Whilst the future path of the pandemic remains uncertain, our full year guidance confirms our confidence in the outlook for the second half of FY2021, as well as our ability to meet our medium-term targets by 2024,” added Yamamoto.
AD Agencies
AdTrust Summit 2026 to examine trust, AI and Gen Alpha in advertising
Two-day summit in Mumbai to explore ethics, regulation and the future of advertising trust
MUMBAI: At a time when advertising is navigating a delicate trust deficit, the Advertising Standards Council of India is preparing to bring the industry to the table. On 17 and 18 March, the body will host the inaugural AdTrust Summit 2026 in Mumbai, a two-day gathering designed to spark conversation around responsibility, regulation and credibility in modern advertising.
The summit, to be held at the Jio World Convention Centre in Bandra Kurla Complex, will bring together leaders from advertising, media, technology and policy to examine how brands can build trust in a marketplace increasingly shaped by algorithms, influencers and artificial intelligence.
In an age of deepfakes, dark patterns and blurred lines between content and commerce, the question is no longer just how brands capture attention, but whether audiences believe what they see. The AdTrust Summit aims to unpack that challenge.
Day one will turn its attention to the youngest digital natives. Titled Decoding Gen Alpha, the session will unveil ‘What the Sigma?’, a study by ASCI and Futurebrands Consulting that explores how children growing up in a hyper-digital environment encounter advertising and commercial messaging.
The report presentation will be delivered by Santosh Desai, founder and director at Think9 Consumer Technologies and a social commentator known for his insights into consumer behaviour. The discussion that follows will attempt to decode how Gen Alpha consumes media, interacts with brands and navigates the growing overlap between entertainment and marketing.
In a move that mirrors the subject itself, two Gen Alpha students will also join the conversation, offering a rare perspective from the generation advertisers are trying to understand.
The second panel of the day will shift the focus from observation to implication, asking what the report’s findings mean for brands, agencies and society. Speakers include Karthik Srinivasan, communications strategy consultant; Preeti Vyas, president at Mythik; and Abigail Dias, associate president planning at Ogilvy. The session will be moderated by Sonali Krishna, editor at ET Brand Equity.
Day two moves from insight to regulation. Under the theme From Compliance to Trust, ASCI will release its Ad Law Compendium, a comprehensive guide to India’s advertising regulations.
The day will open with a keynote by Sudhanshu Vats, chairman at ASCI and managing director at Pidilite Industries, followed by a chief guest address by Sanjay Jaju, secretary at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Legal experts from Khaitan & Co., including Haigreve Khaitan, senior partner, and Tanu Banerjee, partner, will present an overview of the current advertising law landscape in India and examine whether existing frameworks are equipped to deal with emerging technologies and formats.
Subsequent panels will explore issues increasingly shaping the industry’s ethical compass. Conversations will range from the limits of persuasive design and the rise of dark patterns, to the growing scrutiny brands face from digital creators and consumer watchdogs.
One session will also feature Revant Himatsingka, widely known online as the Food Pharmer, whose critiques of packaged food brands have sparked debate around transparency and corporate accountability.
Later discussions will turn toward media literacy among Gen Alpha, asking how children can be equipped to navigate a digital world where gaming, content and commerce are becoming indistinguishable.
The summit will conclude with a final panel on the future of advertising, bringing together voices from agencies, legal circles and technology platforms to discuss how innovation, intelligence and integrity can coexist.
For an industry built on persuasion, trust has always been its quiet currency. But as audiences grow more sceptical and digital ecosystems more complex, that currency is under pressure.
Events like the AdTrust Summit suggest the advertising world knows it cannot afford to take credibility for granted. The real challenge now is turning conversation into commitment.
