AD Agencies
Amitesh Rao’s Leo India celebrates topping Warc’s creative rankings for 2025
Mumbai, 26 March — Leo India has thundered to the top of the global advertising world, clinching the No creative agency 1 spot on the Warc Effectiveness 100 rankings for 2025 with a creative arsenal that’s part marketing magic, part cultural phenomenon.
The agency’s P&G Whisper’s “The Missing Chapter”, PepsiCo Lays “Smart Farm,” Flipkart’s billion-visit masterstroke, and Mondelez Oreo’s nostalgia-fuelled “#BringBack2011” have all featured in Warc’s top 100 campaigns of the year!
CCO Publicis Groupe south Asia & chairman Leo South Asia Rajdeepak Das and CEO, Leo South Asia, Amitesh Rao shared their thoughts on this remarkable achievement.
“Being recognized as the most effective creative agency in the world is incredible because it underlines our core belief that true creative thinking is a force that can effect change for people, for the planet, and for business,” they said. “This is a testament to the culture at Leo India, the talent that calls Leo home, and our amazing clients who, together with us, continue to believe in the power of creativity to impact a billion.”
“This underlines our core belief that true creative thinking is a force that can effect change for people, for the planet, and for business,” the agency added in a Linkedin post.
AD Agencies
Microsoft shifts global media account from Dentsu to Publicis Groupe: Reports
Closed review ends decade-long tie-up; Xbox remit may remain with Dentsu
MUMBAI: Microsoft has reassigned its global media planning and buying business to Publicis Groupe, according to media reports, ending Dentsu’s long-standing stewardship of one of the advertising industry’s biggest accounts.
The move follows a closed review and marks a notable shake-up in the global media landscape. Dentsu, which managed the account through Carat, had held the mandate since 2014 and successfully defended it in a 2018 review.
While the broader business is shifting, Dentsu is expected to retain media responsibilities for Xbox, according to media reports, though the exact contours of that arrangement remain unclear. None of the parties involved have publicly outlined the transition timeline or the full structure of the handover.
The scale of the account underscores the significance of the change. Estimates from COMvergence, cited by Ad Age, peg Microsoft’s global media spend at roughly $700 million last year.
For Publicis Groupe, the win deepens an already expanding relationship with the tech giant. Earlier this year, Microsoft Advertising partnered with Publicis Media Exchange and Epsilon to integrate Epsilon’s data into its platform, aiming to sharpen targeting across search, native and display formats.
The decision reflects a broader industry shift, as large advertisers increasingly favour agency partners with strong first-party data capabilities, AI integration and platform-led solutions. Publicis Groupe has been leaning into this model, positioning its data assets and technology stack as a central differentiator.
For Dentsu, the loss is significant. Media remains a core pillar of its global business, and the development comes close on the heels of leadership changes, including the appointment of Takeshi Sano as global chief executive officer.
The shift also carries a touch of irony. Microsoft and Dentsu have worked closely beyond the client-agency relationship, including collaborations around AI tools such as Copilot to support media and creative workflows.
As the dust settles, the message is clear: in today’s data-driven, AI-powered media world, relationships may be long, but they are rarely permanent.
