MAM
Breaking the Digital Code at the 2nd Edition of The Advertising Club’s D-CODE
Mumbai : India’s digital ecosystem has over the last few years taken significant growth strides by playing a decisive role in scripting success stories for many brands. An evening dedicated to showcasing and deliberating on these inspiring stories saw the best media, marketing and advertising brands come together at the value-driven, learning event – The Advertising Club’s D-CODE presented by MX Player and powered by Tik Tok Ads. A curated panel of 13 industry though leaders inspired and stirred conversations by sharing an example of their own best work, one work they admire and 3 learnings they would want to share with the audience.
Addressing the forum were Amarjit Singh Batra, Managing Director, Spotify; Jogesh Lulla, COO, Corner Stone Sport and Entertainment; versatile Standup Comedian, Musician & Filmmaker, Kenny Sabastian; Karan Bedi, CEO, MX Player; Mustafa Ghouse, Chief Operating Officer, JSW Sports Pvt Ltd; Nirmal Pulickal, Head – Facebook Creative Shop, Facebook; Partha Sinha, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, McCann Worldgroup; Rashi Goel, VP- Consumer Communication Media, CRM & NHW, Nestle; Sachin Sharma, Director – Sales & Partnerships; Bytedance (Tik Tok); Sidharth Rao, CEO & Co-Founder, Dentsu Webchutney; Srivats TS, VP Marketing, Swiggy; Sumeet Narang, Vice-President – Marketing, Bajaj Auto and Vikas Agnihotri, Country Director, Google.
Vikram Sakhuja, President, The Advertising Club, opened the evening saying: “With D-Code we aim to break the definitive code of digital marketing. Today, most marketers are exploring various formats, forms and platforms to bring business value using digital marketing and the insights of our speakers today will go a long way in paving the best success stories for the industry in the coming years.”
Aditya Swamy – Managing Committee Member, The Advertising Club said: “The goal of D-Code is to inspire and be inspired. With a range of speakers from across the eco system showing work by brands, platforms and talent, I hope we were able to raise the bar and give marketers thought starters to crack the Massive digital opportunity.”
Punitha Arumugam – Managing Committee Member, The Advertising Club said: "26 case studies and 39 tips on digital in one evening was time well spent. We had great feedback from the audience with inputs on how to make D-CODE even larger and better in 2020."
The five key learnings that the advertising, digital and marketing fraternity can take back from D-CODE 2019 are:
1) It’s not the output but the outcome that matters in the digital world.
2) Same customer consumes differently hence platforms matter.
3) Connect customer data across touch points for a holistic view of the market.
4) Plan ahead so you can be relevant and always answer ‘what’s in it for me’ for the customer.
5) Learn to create before you sell as technology changes, but people don’t.
With a galaxy of the who’s who of the media, advertising and digital industries in attendance, the second edition of D-CODE established once again established that knowledge sharing is the way to success for all.
Brands
Flipkart completes reverse flip to India ahead of IPO
Walmart-owned e-commerce giant shifts domicile from Singapore to Bengaluru
MUMBAI: Flipkart has completed its restructuring to move its parent company from Singapore back to India, marking a key milestone as the Walmart-owned marketplace prepares for a potential initial public offering on Indian stock exchanges, ET reported, citing people aware of the matter.
The move, often referred to as a “reverse flip”, relocates the company’s legal home to India and aligns its corporate structure more closely with its largest market. It also clears an important regulatory step for Flipkart as it explores listing plans.
As part of the restructuring, several Singapore-based entities have been merged into Flipkart Internet Private Limited, which will now serve as the main holding company for the entire group.
The consolidation brings a number of major businesses directly under the Indian parent company. These include fashion platform Myntra, logistics arm Ekart, travel booking platform Cleartrip, healthcare marketplace Flipkart Health, and fintech venture Super.money.
Under the new structure, global investors including Walmart, Microsoft, SoftBank, and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board will hold their stakes directly in the Indian entity rather than through an overseas holding company.
The redomiciliation required approval from the Indian government because Chinese technology company Tencent owns around a 5 to 6 per cent stake in Flipkart. Under Press Note 3, investments from countries sharing a land border with India require prior government clearance.
Flipkart had already secured approval from the National Company Law Tribunal in December. With the latest clearance from the central government, the company has now obtained all the regulatory approvals needed to complete the relocation, ET reported earlier.
Flipkart had originally shifted its holding structure to Singapore in 2011 to tap global capital more easily. However, as India’s capital markets have matured, several start-ups have begun returning their domiciles to the country ahead of public listings. Companies such as Razorpay, Groww, and Meesho have taken similar steps.
The company is now expected to move ahead with its IPO preparations and has begun early discussions with merchant bankers. According to people familiar with the matter, Flipkart could file its draft prospectus later this year, setting the stage for what may become one of the most closely watched listings in India’s e-commerce sector.
Flipkart has been majority-owned by Walmart since 2018, when the US retail giant acquired a 77 per cent stake in the company for $16 billion in one of the largest e-commerce deals globally.
