MAM
Genesis begins handling Sony PR
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: Finally. The Sony Entertainment Television Indian account, after weeks of speculation, has moved from Roger Periera Associates to Genesis PR later this month.
While the account officially moved to Genesis from 1 January, the advertising fraternity, which had been abuzz with the news since beginning December, had said that the account would move by third week of December. The contract initially is for a year. Roger Periera Associates, which has recently divorced from Burston Marstellor, had the Sony account for just over one year, prior to which, Sony handled its PR inhouse.
Among the contenders who were vying for the Sony PR account were Genesis, RP and IPAN Public Relations, a division of the WPP group.
Genesis PR will be looking after the corporate and programming PR of Sony and SET Max channels. AXN does not fall within the ambit of the agreement and CNBC India is anyway slated to move out of the Sony bouquet to Zee Turner. HBO which has moved from Zee Turner bouquet to the Sony stable has its own PR company in CMCG India.
With SET India on board, the media account tally of Genesis PR goes up to three as the Prema Sagar-started company already has BBC World and National Geographic Channel accounts.
The SET India account was with the erstwhile BMRP till recently. Genesis PR bagging the SET account also coincides with the recent announced split between Roger Periera and BM earlier this year. Genesis PR now has an affiliation with BM, though the latter does not hold any equity stake in Genesis PR unlike the relationship it had with Roger Pereira where BM held about 49 per cent stake in BMRP.
With the cricket World Cup, to be held in South Africa, almost round the corner, at least SET Max will be needing some aggressive public and media relations activities.
Brands
Zepto names Saurabh Kabra vice president for non-trade advertising
Former blinkit and ITC executive to drive Zepto’s ad-led growth
BENGALURU: Zepto has elevated Saurabh Kabra to vice president—non-trade advertising, partnerships and catalogue, underscoring the quick-commerce firm’s push to deepen high-margin revenue streams beyond deliveries.
Based in Bengaluru, Kabra will lead the strategic expansion of Zepto’s advertising and partnerships ecosystem. He was previously senior director and head of the non-trade advertising business, where he played a central role in building the company’s ad-led monetisation playbook.
Since joining Zepto, Kabra has worked closely with the chief executive’s office on strategic initiatives, contributing to the company’s rapid scale-up in India’s intensely competitive quick-commerce market. His elevation comes as platforms increasingly court brand advertising to steady margins and diversify revenue.
Before Zepto, Kabra held senior growth roles at Blinkit, serving as associate director of growth and city CEO for Hyderabad, where he led regional expansion and operational scaling.
Earlier in his career, he spent several years at ITC Limited, managing brands such as Classmate and Paperkraft and overseeing sales operations in the personal care business. He is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta.
Industry executives view the appointment as a clear signal that Zepto is sharpening its focus on advertising, partnerships and catalogue-led monetisation: areas increasingly discussed by investors as critical to improving unit economics in quick commerce.
