MAM
#BillboardSpeaks’ objective was to tell people that we missed them: Posterscope’s Haresh Nayak
MUMBAI: “Hey there, Good to see you, it was lonely out there, now that you are back we can talk.”
Did you see this digital billboard while you were on your way to work? If yes, then it was meant to grab your attention. Posterscope never ceases to amaze people with its innovation. Recently, when the government eased the movement of people and business operations in Unlock 1.0, the agency launched an OOH campaign called #BillboardSpeaks. A national campaign rolled out in the green zones of the country was to motivate and welcome people to normalcy.
“The objective of this campaign was to reach out to the people and tell them that we miss them. And being an industry leader, it is our moral responsibility to support the industry by welcoming back the people in the out of home space, obviously with a lot of caution and care and compliance which all the government bodies are putting into play,” shares Posterscope Asia Pacific president Haresh Nayak.
“I think this was a great opportunity for us to also highlight the importance and relevance of out-of-home in everyone’s life. And it is one medium which is free for the eyes, you don’t pay any cable connection charges or internet fees. And also, you can’t ignore an OOH advertisement. The team’s strategy was to bring out the essence and the core of the medium,” Nayak further reveals.
This OOH campaign, which is mainly only on hoardings, has been displayed in sites like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Ahmadabad.
There is no denying that all the businesses across the globe have been badly impacted due to Covid2019. So, what is Posterscope’s strategy to revive the business?
Nayak says that there is a huge dent in everyone’s business and everyone, from clients to media partners has been impacted. “I was lucky I have a great team, and everyone understood their role. Everyone worked on getting our back-end right. Our HR team worked on all the training programs on the back end, content and then the business development team worked on segmenting clients. What are the new options when the lockdown opens up? What are the new innovative solutions we can do because innovating was critical? So, we had to work on innovative solutions for post-Covid2019 signages. We looked at cleaning our databases and sharpening our content. We did a lot of training during the lockdown to sharpen our skills and to uplift our skills,” he shares.
He believes that these strategies have been efficient in helping them out of the situation where few factors are under control. It even ensured that there were no salary cuts or layoffs in the company, he says.
Nayak also reveals that for Posterscope, the overall aim is to cover as much lost ground as possible. “We have lost so many months due to the crises; we want to reach at least where we were last year. We are hopeful,” he concludes.
Brands
Abhinav Rastogi named global marketing director for YouTube Shopping
Google veteran to scale creator commerce and expand shopping across global markets
SINGAPORE: Abhinav Rastogi has stepped into a new role as global marketing director for YouTube Shopping, marking the latest chapter in a more than decade-long career at Google.
Rastogi, who took on the position in February and is based in Singapore, will lead global marketing for YouTube Shopping, a platform designed to connect creators, viewers and merchants in a single ecosystem. His remit includes expanding the service into new markets and strengthening its positioning as a growth channel for both creators and brands.
In a reflective note on the transition, Rastogi pointed to a simple but powerful idea driving the role. For years, creators have quietly built trust with audiences through consistent and authentic content, and that trust often shapes purchasing decisions. What is changing now, he said, is the infrastructure around that behaviour. YouTube Shopping aims to make it easier for viewers to discover and buy products recommended by creators they already follow.
The scale is already significant. More than half a million creators have joined the programme, with recent expansion into Japan through a partnership with Rakuten signalling further global ambitions.
Rastogi believes the future of shopping on YouTube will be driven by a blend of creators, content and communities. In his view, it is the human voice behind the screen, not just the product, that ultimately builds trust and drives discovery.
Prior to this role, he served as director of marketing, YouTube Asia Pacific, where he led regional marketing across creator engagement, brand building and reputation. During that time, he played a key role in launching and scaling YouTube Shopping across eight markets in the region.
Earlier stints at Google include group product marketing manager, consumer apps, overseeing growth for products such as Search, Maps and Assistant across India and Southeast Asia, and product marketing manager roles spanning consumer apps and YouTube, where he contributed to launches including YouTube Music, YouTube Originals and YouTube Shorts.
Rastogi began his career in consulting with Boston Consulting Group and A.T. Kearney, before moving into the technology sector. He is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta and Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.
Alongside his corporate role, he is also an active angel investor, backing early-stage startups in consumer technology and electric mobility across India and Southeast Asia.
As he settles into the new role, Rastogi is betting on a future where every video can double up as a storefront, and where commerce feels less like a transaction and more like a recommendation from a trusted voice.
