AD Agencies
Dentsu Aegis Network restructures rural marketing under Hyperspace
Mumbai: Dentsu Aegis Network recently announced the restructuring of its Rural Marketing under its shopper marketing agency, Hyperspace. This development has been introduced in the light of opening avenues for brands to create a shopper experience in the emerging markets.
Keshav Chandorkar, who was heading the Rural division under Fountainhead Entertainment will continue to lead this new operation along with his original team. Chandorkar has 24 years of experience in activation, rural marketing and strategy planning.
“Retail is facing headwinds, particularly in rural areas because the consumers in these markets witness the premium retail experience through mobile connectivity today. Moreover, with the increase in the purchasing power of the consumers, the disparity between urban and rural India is reducing manifold. As leaders in the Industry, we are committed to review the market, pick out the gaps and do the needful. We are positive that this recent rejig will be beneficial to the fast-evolving consumers,” said Keshav Chandorkar, Vice President – Rural Division, Hyperspace.
Speaking on the restructuring strategy, Haresh Nayak, Group MD – Posterscope – South Asia, said, “Hyperspace being in the industry for 10 years now, having an experience of working with more than 200 + clients, rural marketing was a natural extension. The agency has had a fair presence in the smaller markets but given the scope that still more than 90% retail takes place in the physical space, our rural marketing services will only help our clients to reach in deeper markets. As a brand we are chasing multiple priorities at the same time, so even as the company expands, we will stay agile and we will continue to discover the new preferences of our clients and consumers.”
At Hyperspace, the rural marketing division specializes in delivering memorable and engaging consumer experiences driven through insight, data and innovation. The division positions itself as a 360-degree solution provider to brands, with an in-house capability of conceptualization as well seamless on ground activation across the length and breadth of the country.
AD Agencies
Publicis Brazil’s creative chief Mauro Ramalho lands the jury chair at Abby Awards 2026
Mauro Ramalho brings 25 years of global advertising firepower to the new creative commerce, use of data and B2B category at Goafest
GOA: The Abby Awards 2026, powered by The One Club and The One Show, has appointed Mauro Ramalho, chief creative officer of Publicis Brazil, as jury chair for its newly launched creative commerce, use of data and B2B category. The announcement, made on 18 March, signals the awards’ intent to bring serious international muscle to a category that sits squarely at the intersection of creativity and commercial performance.
Ramalho is not a name that needs much introduction in global advertising circles. Over 25 years spanning three countries, he has worked at some of the industry’s most creatively restless addresses. At AKQA in San Francisco, he worked across McDonald’s, Nike, Fox, Target, Kraft Foods and GAP, and helped lead “The Lost Ring” for McDonald’s, one of the first alternate reality campaigns and among the most awarded projects of its era. He later moved to Organic in Toronto, bridging the Detroit and Toronto offices on Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler, before spending over a decade building CUBOCC into one of Brazil’s most iconic and innovative independent agencies, which subsequently joined the IPG network.
A stint at FCB followed, where Ramalho led integrated work bridging online and offline, before he joined R/GA São Paulo as vice-president and executive creative director, stitching together the São Paulo office with New York, London, Portland and California on global clients including Verizon, Google, Meta, Samsung, American Express and Heineken. He now heads Publicis Brazil as its chief creative officer.
His trophy cabinet includes Clios, Effies, TikTok awards and MMA Smarties, and he has served on juries at the Andys, TikTok and the Lisbon Awards.
The Abby Awards 2026 is scheduled to take place at Goafest 2026 on 20, 21 and 22 May in Goa.
For Indian advertising, landing a jury chair of Ramalho’s calibre for a category built around data-driven creativity and commerce is a statement of ambition. Goafest just raised its own bar.
