AD Agencies
dentsu X recognised as Indian agency with ‘highest quali-points growth over 3 years’: RECMA
Mumbai: RECMA, the independent research firm that evaluates media agencies, has recognised dentsu X, the media agency from the house of dentsu India, as the Indian agency with the highest quali-points growth over three years.
The report, RECMA Debrief number 37, evaluates the media agencies from 47 countries across nineteen criteria. For the record, out of the total number of 700 agencies, 27 have shown spectacular growth over three years with at least ten qualitative points.
“Dentsu has embraced the future by providing integrated idea-led, data-driven, tech-enabled solutions that offer our clients a competitive advantage in an ever-changing environment. Our body of work, our client partnerships is the bedrock for our trajectory and validates that we are on the right path,” dentsu Media South Asia chief executive officer Divya Karani said.
Besides this, the agency has been declared ‘Agency-of-the-Year’ by three separate industry forums this year and has also been recognised among the ‘Top 100 Fastest-Growing Agencies’ globally by Adweek.
Speaking on the achievement, dentsu X India CEO Roopam Garg added, “This is a huge affirmation of our ‘Experience beyond Exposure’ offer powered by data and analytics. This drives outcomes for brands v/s only output or media efficiencies. The fact that a growing number of marketers see the value dentsu X provides in this rapidly changing and challenging business, is a tremendous endorsement of our design.”
RECMA publishes a wide range of media agency notation reports on a global scale with the aim to provide strategic intelligence reference tools to help global advertisers in their decision-making and agency sourcing.
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.
