MAM
Havas Media Group doubles down on strategy with appointments from Nike and Sopexa
MUMBAI: Havas Media Group furthers its commitment to meaningful media with two new additions to its global team. Thomas Minc joins the media team as Managing Director, Global Strategy, and Ellen Zaleski as Managing Director, Global Insights. Both Minc and Zaleski report to Havas Media Group’s Global Chief Strategy Officer, Greg James. The duo will co-lead Havas Media Group’s ongoing initiative to translate data into tangiblenext steps through updates to processes, media metrics, and tools for the entire Group.
Greg James comments: “I am excited about Thomas and Ellen joining the global media team, as we’ve seen a significant appetite from clients to return to the core of media—great insight, clear strategy and brilliant, hard-working media thinking. We’re looking at the bigger picture, keeping out of the weeds and re-focusing on media itself which is exactly what clients need in a complex landscape.”
Zaleski joins Havas Media Group from footwear and apparel giant Nike, where she was Director of Consumer Knowledge. In her new role at Havas Media, Zaleski will work to build and further developthe insights-based services forHavas Media Group and its clients.
Ellen Zaleski says: “This is an opportunity to redefine media for our teams, our clients, and the industry. Our commitment to meaningful media is enabling us to set new standards and goals, and to lead through innovation.”
Thomas Minc first joined Havasin 2010, and over seven years worked in various roles, from Research Analyst up to VPGroup Directorleading Havas Sports & Entertainment. In 2016, he left to become Managing Director ofSopexa USA, a global integrated marketing agency.
Minc will focus on the implementation of a new strategic planning process, support local and global strategy teams, andshare thought leadership across the Havas Media network and wider industry.
Minc says: “It’s great to be returning to Havas, there’s been so much positive change—from the renewed focus on meaningful media to our increased attention on our ways of working and our culture. The progression is impressive, and this is just the beginning.”
Brands
Airtel, Jio, Vi quietly raise tariffs with tweaks ahead of major hike
Airtel, Jio and Vi test subscriber response with subtle plan changes
NEW DELHI: India’s top telecom operators, including Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea, are quietly reworking their prepaid plans in what appears to be a calculated run-up to a broader tariff hike expected later this year.
Rather than announcing headline-grabbing price increases, the operators are opting for subtle tweaks that are less likely to trigger immediate consumer backlash. Industry observers describe this as a “testing the waters” approach, where small changes help gauge subscriber sensitivity while gradually improving revenues.
Among the most visible moves is plan pruning. Airtel has discontinued its popular Rs 799 pack, widely seen as a high-value offering, while nudging up the price of its Rs 859 plan to Rs 899. The changes may seem marginal, but across millions of users, they translate into meaningful revenue gains.
Reliance Jio, on its part, has taken a sharper route by slashing the validity of its Rs 195 plan from 90 days to just 30 days. The price remains unchanged, but the value per day has dropped steeply, effectively raising costs for consumers without altering headline tariffs.
Meanwhile, Vodafone Idea is restructuring its “NonStopHero” packs, limiting unlimited data benefits to night hours in several circles. The move trims usage flexibility while keeping plan positioning largely intact.
Another common tactic is bundling. Operators are increasingly pairing plans with OTT subscriptions such as streaming services, framing price adjustments as value additions even when the core offering remains largely unchanged.
The broader goal behind these moves is to lift ARPU (Average Revenue Per User), a key profitability metric in the telecom business. Airtel is targeting an ARPU of around Rs 300, up from roughly Rs 250, while Jio is under pressure to demonstrate stronger revenue growth ahead of a potential IPO. For Vodafone Idea, the urgency is more immediate as it seeks higher cash flows to fund 5G expansion and manage outstanding dues.
Industry estimates suggest that these incremental changes are a precursor to a larger, industry-wide tariff hike of 15 to 20 per cent, likely towards the end of 2026. The delay in announcing a full-scale increase is partly due to macroeconomic concerns, including inflation and volatile fuel prices, which could dampen consumer sentiment.
The push to monetise 5G is also gathering pace. After investing more than Rs 3 lakh crore in next-generation networks, operators are expected to gradually phase out free 5G data and reposition it as a premium service.
For consumers, the impact is already visible in small but steady increases in monthly bills. For telcos, however, this is a carefully choreographed build-up, easing users into higher spending before the bigger pricing reset arrives.
