MAM
AdAge & Adweek name Mediaedge:cia the Global Media Agency of the Year 2006
MUMBAI: WPP’s Mediaedge:cia (MEC), the media communications specialist company under the GropuM umbrella, has been named Global Media Agency of the Year 2006, by Advertising Age and Adweek, two leading marketing and advertising publications in the US.
Based on the parameters of growth, new business wins and diversification in the areas of retail and digital, the award is a culmination of global achievements and the Indian contribution is said to have been significant.
Speaking to Indiantelevision.com Mediaedge:cia India managing director Shubha George said that this is in recognition of the growth that the agency has seen in 2006. “Our operations in India has seen a 57 per cent growth in 2006 over 2005, with no client losses this year.” The brands that have been added to the kitty over this duration of time include Henkel, Singapore Airlines, Subhiksha, Sony Ericsson, HDFC and Honda Motors among others.
The AdAge report states that according to the estimates arrived at by media monitoring group Recma, Mediaedge:cia saw a 14 per cent growth rate in 2006 which made the network the second-fastest growing agency after Starcom MediaVest Group. Mediaedge:cia ranks sixth among media networks with billings of close to $19 billion in Recma’s rankings.
“These honours are a testament to our clients as well as the MEC network. We are only as good as the work we do for our clients,” said MEC’s Global chief executive officer Charles Courtier. “The breadth and depth of our capabilities, and the growth we have encountered speak for themselves. MEC is now 5 years young and Adweek and AdAge have recognised our best year ever. We’ve clearly hit our stride, with great confidence running throughout the network.”
Brands
Ekart expands IKEA partnership with EV deliveries in Chennai
3PL to handle 600 plus products with 48 hour delivery via EV fleet.
MUMBAI: Flatpacks are going electric and your sofa might now arrive with a smaller carbon footprint. Ekart has expanded its partnership with IKEA to power last-mile deliveries in Chennai, doubling down on speed, scale and sustainability in one of India’s key urban markets. Under the collaboration, Ekart will manage end-to-end large-format deliveries for IKEA across the city using a 100 per cent dedicated electric vehicle fleet. The move makes Chennai the second major market after NCR-Delhi where Ekart handles IKEA’s last-mile logistics, signalling a broader rollout of EV-led supply chains.
The mandate is no small load. Ekart will oversee deliveries for over 600 products from IKEA’s catalogue, ranging from furniture to home décor—categories that demand specialised handling and precision logistics.
Backed by its technology-driven fulfilment network, Ekart is targeting deliveries within a 48-hour window, offering real-time tracking and end-to-end visibility from warehouse to doorstep. The focus is clear: faster turnarounds without compromising on control or customer experience.
The EV-first model also aligns with both companies’ sustainability goals, as urban logistics increasingly shifts towards zero-emission solutions. For IKEA, which continues to expand its omnichannel presence in India, reliable and eco-conscious last-mile delivery is becoming central to scale.
For Ekart, the partnership reinforces its positioning as an enterprise-grade logistics player in large-format commerce. The company already supports over 1,800 retail, D2C and enterprise brands, spanning last-mile delivery, part-truckload services and warehousing.
As India’s logistics ecosystem evolves, this collaboration highlights a growing trend: delivery is no longer just about distance, it’s about efficiency, experience and increasingly, emissions.
