MAM
Aegis posts impressive H1 results ahead of Dentsu takeover
MUMBAI: Global media conglomerate Aegis which is headquartered in London posted an organic revenue growth of 8.6 per cent for H1 2012, up by 0.8 per cent over year-ago.
The billings for the H1 period of 2012 were ?596.8 million. In 2011, the Aegis group recorded billings worth ?519.1 million, registering a YoY increase of 15 per cent. Profits for the same period rose by 10.32 per cent from ?25.2 million in 2011 to ?27.8 million in 2012.
Aegis Media APAC’s revenue increased by 17.3 per cent to ?115.8 million from ?98.7 million in 2011. China and Australia were the leading performers in the region for Aegis with other markets also doing reasonable well.
The company’s revenue in the Americas region increased by 38 per cent to ?134.8 million as opposed to last year’s ? 97.7 million. Its North American business continued to improve its market position with the appointment of Carat US as General Motors Co’s global strategic media partner in January 2012.
Geographically, the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region revenue increased by 5.3 per cent (from 2011’s ? 290.7 million) to ?306.1 million with Russia, the UK, Turkey and across the Middle East and Africa delivering strong performances.
In January 2012, the group acquired a further 41 per cent of the share in Norwegian agency Qualité Search taking its stake from 34 per cent to 75 per cent, thus obtaining control of Qualité which has joined the iProspect brand in Norway.
In February 2012 Aegis fully acquired the holding company of Roundarch Inc, a digital agency which specialises in designing and building enterprise-class digital solutions for clients. Roundarch has been combined with Isobar, Aegis’s existing digital creative network in the US and renamed as RoundarchIsobar.
In March 2012, Aegis acquired 70 per cent in the Hungarian out-of-home agency PPI Central Europe. PPI has been rebranded to become part of the Postercope EMEA division of Posterscope Worldwide.
In May, the group fully acquired Beijing-based digital agency eLink Advertising, which is now a part of the Isobar network in China.
Aegis Group chief executive officer Jerry Buhlmann said, “Successfully delivering our strategy in recent years has consolidated Aegis’s market-leading position and, in July, the Board recommended a ?3.16 billion cash offer from Dentsu. Once completed, this transaction will create one of the world’s most dynamic marketing services groups, the first truly global communications group born in the digital age, with the global reach to provide increased scale, capability and investment to support our clients. For our people, the combination offers continuity and the promise of working for one of the most exciting, high growth companies in our industry.”
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
