AD Agencies
Dentsu Aegis Network restructures rural marketing under Hyperspace
Mumbai: Dentsu Aegis Network recently announced the restructuring of its Rural Marketing under its shopper marketing agency, Hyperspace. This development has been introduced in the light of opening avenues for brands to create a shopper experience in the emerging markets.
Keshav Chandorkar, who was heading the Rural division under Fountainhead Entertainment will continue to lead this new operation along with his original team. Chandorkar has 24 years of experience in activation, rural marketing and strategy planning.
“Retail is facing headwinds, particularly in rural areas because the consumers in these markets witness the premium retail experience through mobile connectivity today. Moreover, with the increase in the purchasing power of the consumers, the disparity between urban and rural India is reducing manifold. As leaders in the Industry, we are committed to review the market, pick out the gaps and do the needful. We are positive that this recent rejig will be beneficial to the fast-evolving consumers,” said Keshav Chandorkar, Vice President – Rural Division, Hyperspace.
Speaking on the restructuring strategy, Haresh Nayak, Group MD – Posterscope – South Asia, said, “Hyperspace being in the industry for 10 years now, having an experience of working with more than 200 + clients, rural marketing was a natural extension. The agency has had a fair presence in the smaller markets but given the scope that still more than 90% retail takes place in the physical space, our rural marketing services will only help our clients to reach in deeper markets. As a brand we are chasing multiple priorities at the same time, so even as the company expands, we will stay agile and we will continue to discover the new preferences of our clients and consumers.”
At Hyperspace, the rural marketing division specializes in delivering memorable and engaging consumer experiences driven through insight, data and innovation. The division positions itself as a 360-degree solution provider to brands, with an in-house capability of conceptualization as well seamless on ground activation across the length and breadth of the country.
AD Agencies
The Advertising Club adds new categories to Creative Abby 2026
Awards expand global focus; entries open until 6 April
MUMBAI: The Advertising Club has unveiled a fresh set of categories for Creative Abby 2026, sharpening the awards’ global edge while keeping creativity firmly centre stage.
The updated entry form, reflecting all category refinements, is now live on the Club’s website. The awards continue their partnership with The One Club and The One Show. Entries close on April 6, 2026, and eligible work must have been released between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026. Winners will be announced at Goafest 2026.
This year, the Abby Awards Governing Council went a step further, inviting some of India’s most awarded creative leaders and global jury veterans to help reimagine the categories and judging process. The result is a sharper, more future facing framework.
Two new categories have been introduced:
Social content and influencer marketing
Recognising the fast expanding universe of digital creators, collaborations and community building.
Creative commerce, use of data and B2B
Celebrating innovation across online and offline commerce, payment solutions, data driven channels, creative B2B and immersive brand experiences.
Both categories are designed to reward craft and quality of impact, rather than pure effectiveness metrics.
In a bid to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving digital landscape, seven sub categories within the Digital vertical have been removed after being deemed redundant.
Three social good verticals, Green Abby, Red Abby and Diversity Equality and Inclusivity, have now been merged into a single category titled Sustainability and Inclusion, bringing purpose driven work under one cohesive umbrella.
The Mobile category has been discontinued, reflecting the reality that mobile is no longer a niche medium but embedded across digital formats. The new Social Content and Influencer Marketing vertical is expected to absorb much of this work.
Acknowledging the role of marketers in driving creative excellence, a new honour titled Client of the Year has been introduced. It will be awarded to the client whose brands accumulate the highest number of points.
There is also a key change in how Creative Agency of the Year is calculated. Previously determined by points across eight traditional categories such as Print, Film, OOH, Integrated, Audio and Digital, the award will now consider performance across 18 creative categories, excluding Video Craft and Young Maverick Abby. The shift broadens the competitive canvas and reflects the industry’s expanding definition of creativity.
The Advertising Club president and McCann India CEO Dheeraj Sinha said Goafest has long stood for collaboration and creative excellence. He noted that in its 57th year, the Abby Awards continue to raise the bar and bring together the brightest minds in the business.
Abby Awards 2026 chairperson Ajay Kakar, added that the categories had been co created with leading creative luminaries for the first time. He expressed gratitude to The One Club and The One Show for supporting the judging process over the past five years and thanked agencies and clients for their consistent participation.
With new categories, sharper criteria and a broader lens on creativity, Creative Abby 2026 signals that in advertising, evolution is not optional. It is the brief.
