MAM
Ashish Bhasin bags ‘South Asia Agency Head of the Year’ title at Campaign South Asia Awards 2019
MUMBAI: Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) CEO APAC and Chairman India Ashish Bhasin has won ‘South Asia Agency Head of the Year’ Titles at Campaign Asia-Pacific's Agency of the Year Awards for the fourth time.
Dentsu Webchutney has been audaciously marking its territory in Creative. After winning multiple accolades at the Goafest, Cannes, and Spikes this year, Dentsu Webchutney has not only been named the ‘India Digital Agency of the Year’ by Campaign AOY2019 but has also bagged the much-coveted ‘South Asia Digital Agency of The Year’ Title for 2019. Of course, Dentsu Webchutney’s supremely talented young gun, P.G. Aditya, has been crowned the ‘South Asia Creative Person of The Year’.
With a Gold in its kitty, Isobar India is now the ‘South Asia Social Media Agency of the Year’. However, the agency’s greater achievement here is that within just one year of expanding its office to Sri Lanka, Isobar’s work has already been acknowledged with a Silver in the ‘Rest of South Asia Digital Agency of the Year’ category.
Fractal Ink, with its Silver in the ‘South Asia Specialist Agency of The Year’ category and iProspect India, with its Bronze as the ‘South Asia Integrated Marketing Agency of the Year’, too, has earned sparkling laurels for the Network.
Dentsu Aegis Network India Anand Bhadkamkar commented “What a fantastic performance this has been. It feels great to see Dentsu Aegis Network agencies bring home so many awards. I feel honored and privileged to lead such a brilliant team. Once again we have demonstrated our complete dominance, especially in digital, and I am sure that Dentsu Aegis Network will continue setting new standards. These wins are a great testimony to the 3700 strong, extremely talented and passionate Dentsu Aegis Network India family.”
Dentsu Webchutney won Gold award in the category of South Asia Digital Agency of the Year. It was also a winner in the category of India Digital Agency of the Year. The company not only won Bronze in India Creative Agency Of The Year but also won silver in the category of South Asia Social Media Agency of the Year.
P.G. Aditya and Ashish Bhasin were also recognised as South Asia Creative Person Of The Year – Winner and South Asia Agency Head Of The Year – Winner respectively.
Brands
Abhinav Rastogi named global marketing director for YouTube Shopping
Google veteran to scale creator commerce and expand shopping across global markets
SINGAPORE: Abhinav Rastogi has stepped into a new role as global marketing director for YouTube Shopping, marking the latest chapter in a more than decade-long career at Google.
Rastogi, who took on the position in February and is based in Singapore, will lead global marketing for YouTube Shopping, a platform designed to connect creators, viewers and merchants in a single ecosystem. His remit includes expanding the service into new markets and strengthening its positioning as a growth channel for both creators and brands.
In a reflective note on the transition, Rastogi pointed to a simple but powerful idea driving the role. For years, creators have quietly built trust with audiences through consistent and authentic content, and that trust often shapes purchasing decisions. What is changing now, he said, is the infrastructure around that behaviour. YouTube Shopping aims to make it easier for viewers to discover and buy products recommended by creators they already follow.
The scale is already significant. More than half a million creators have joined the programme, with recent expansion into Japan through a partnership with Rakuten signalling further global ambitions.
Rastogi believes the future of shopping on YouTube will be driven by a blend of creators, content and communities. In his view, it is the human voice behind the screen, not just the product, that ultimately builds trust and drives discovery.
Prior to this role, he served as director of marketing, YouTube Asia Pacific, where he led regional marketing across creator engagement, brand building and reputation. During that time, he played a key role in launching and scaling YouTube Shopping across eight markets in the region.
Earlier stints at Google include group product marketing manager, consumer apps, overseeing growth for products such as Search, Maps and Assistant across India and Southeast Asia, and product marketing manager roles spanning consumer apps and YouTube, where he contributed to launches including YouTube Music, YouTube Originals and YouTube Shorts.
Rastogi began his career in consulting with Boston Consulting Group and A.T. Kearney, before moving into the technology sector. He is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta and Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.
Alongside his corporate role, he is also an active angel investor, backing early-stage startups in consumer technology and electric mobility across India and Southeast Asia.
As he settles into the new role, Rastogi is betting on a future where every video can double up as a storefront, and where commerce feels less like a transaction and more like a recommendation from a trusted voice.
