MAM
Bang in the Middle expands operations in US
MUMBAI: Reversing the trend of global agencies launching in India, newly formed independent agency Bang in the Middle launched operations in USA with offices in Chicago and New York to start with.
The USA operations will be led by Saira Mohan who will assume the post of president Bang in the Middle USA. Mohan has been a super model and has experience in the field of advertising and marketing of fashion, luxury and design.
The USA outfit of the Indian agency will help the growing ambitions of many mainstream brands that are not owned by MNCs but want to expand their ambit and enter India. It will also help its clients like iYogi and Veen Waters to establish their brand in US.
Bang in the Middle is already in conversation with a few brands in US, and some leading communication and professionals to bring them on board. Through its suite of offerings that span design, branding and digital marketing, this is Bang in the Middle‘s first international foray into establishing itself as a mainstream global creative media company.
Mohan said, “I am excited to partner this incredibly talented team in India and open up the opportunities in US for brands from India and open up Indian markets for brands in US. I have been in the world of branding and design for over a decade and I intend to fully bring that experience on table for all our current and potential clients.”
“We have been clear from the start that we won‘t be a single country operation. This is the next step in our evolution and we aren‘t going to stop here. We are exploring some more opportunities in Asia and Europe, and we hope to expand into those markets. It‘s time to demonstrate a brand new way of doing business, and what a better moment than India‘s Independence Day to announce this” said Bang in the Middle managing partner Prathap Suthan.
Bang in the Middle managing partner and CSO Naresh Gupta said, “We currently have a very eclectic bunch of clients who require our services in more markets than just US. We have launched campaigns in US, Europe and Middle East already for our clients, and are about to launch some more for our brands. In today‘s hyperconnected world you need to be present in everywhere where opportunity is, and for us USA is a vast opportunity.”
Bang in the Middle‘s clients include iYogi, Veen Waters, Hawktrack from Knoxx Global, Dulux Paints, Vimal, and BigFlix.
AD Agencies
Abhay Duggal joins JioStar as director of Hindi GEC ad sales
The streaming giant brings in a seasoned revenue hand as the battle for Hindi television advertising heats up
MUMBAI: Abhay Duggal has a new desk, and JioStar has a new weapon. The media and entertainment veteran has joined JioStar as director of entertainment ad sales for Hindi general entertainment channels, adding 17 years of hard-won revenue experience to one of India’s most powerful broadcasting operations.
Duggal is no stranger to big portfolios or bruising markets. Before joining JioStar, he spent a brief stint at Republic World as deputy general manager and north regional head for ad sales. Before that, he put in three years at Enterr10 Television, where he ran the north region for Dangal TV and Dangal 2, two of India’s leading free-to-air Hindi channels. The north alone accounted for more than 50 per cent of total channel revenue on his watch, a number that tends to get attention in any sales meeting.
His longest stint was at Zee Entertainment Enterprises, where he spent over six years rising to associate director of sales. There he commanded the Hindi movies cluster across seven channels, owned more than half of north India’s revenue across flagship properties including Zee TV and &TV, and closed marquee sponsorships across the Indian Premier League, Zee Rishtey Awards and Dance India Dance. He also handled monetisation for the English movies and entertainment cluster and the global news channel WION, a portfolio that would stretch most sales teams twice his size.
Earlier in his career Duggal closed what was then a Rs 3 crore single deal at Reliance Broadcast Network, one of the largest in Indian radio at the time, before that he helped launch and monetise JAINHITS, India’s first HITS-based cable and satellite platform.
His edge, by his own account, lies in marrying data and instinct: translating audience trends, inventory signals and client demands into long-term partnerships built on cost-per-rating-point discipline rather than short-term deal chasing. In a media landscape being reshaped by streaming, fragmented attention and AI-driven advertising, that kind of rigour is increasingly rare and increasingly valuable.
JioStar, which blends the scale of Reliance’s Jio platform with the content firepower of Star, is doubling down on its advertising business at precisely the moment the Hindi GEC market is getting more competitive. Bringing in someone who has spent nearly two decades doing exactly this, across some of India’s most watched channels, is a pointed statement of intent. Duggal has spent his career turning audiences into revenue. JioStar is clearly betting he can do it again, and bigger.
