AD Agencies
JBL appoints Makani Creatives as its ad agency
MUMBAI: JBL, one of the leading American audio electronics company currently owned by Harman International, has roped in Makani Creatives as its advertising agency. This development comes close after the decision on deployment of major funds to step up marketing activities and ramp up technology.
JBL has already launched a strong campaign with celebrities Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra in order to target the youth and engage the users by launching a music video called ‘Just Be Loud’ created by Kookie Gulati from SOBO films.
Makani Creatives will now roll out campaigns in sync with the brand thought process – ‘Just Be Loud’. The agency has a repertoire of youth, fashion and retail brands which makes it the natural choice to partner with JBL.
JBL director Sahil Sani said, “JBL has been a key force in developing independent divisions for audio equipment for consumer home market and professional equipment for studio, installed sounds, tour sound, portable sound (production and DJ) and cinema markets. Over the last few years, we have managed to make our presence felt in most sound and audio sectors.”
“Our key focus now, is to increase the reach and awareness, and build on our strength as a preferred choice for end-consumers. In order to meet this objective, we are thrilled to partner with Makani Creatives as our brand agency. With them on board, we are now gearing up for the new brand identity – ‘Just Be Loud’ and innovative marketing campaigns in the near future. We chose Makani Creatives for their clear understanding of our brand, proven record for delivering some of the most successful ad campaigns and focus on delivering business results,” he further added.
Makani Creatives MD Sameer Makani said, ‘‘JBL is a young and dynamic brand which has revolutionised the audio category, that being of head phones, headsets and bluetooth speakers. We were very charged by this proposition and that lead to a fine campaign we presented to JBL. In fact, they were quite impressed and that’s how we bagged their luxury division, Harman Kardon as well. The first set of work for JBL will be out shortly and I am sure that this will be one of the first steps of a successful journey together, we intend to take with this brand.”
AD Agencies
Omnicom Q4: Posts big revenue gains amid restructuring
Company trims underperforming units and launches $5B share buyback to reward investors.
MUMBAI: Omnicom has decided that in the world of global advertising, it is better to be a big fish in an even bigger pond. The marketing powerhouse, which recently swallowed its rival IPG, has kicked off 2026 by showing the market that it is not just buying growth – it is engineering it. In a series of bold strategic manoeuvres, the group has doubled its projected cost-savings target to a whopping $1.5 billion over the next three years.
The fourth-quarter results for 2025, released on 18 February 2026, paint a picture of a company in the midst of a massive structural makeover. Reported revenue for the quarter shot up 27.9 per cent to $5,528.8 million, a figure heavily bolstered by the first full month of IPG’s operations under the Omnicom umbrella. For the full year, revenue reached $17,271.9 million, marking a 10.1 per cent increase as the company integrated heavyweights like Acxiom Real iD and Flywheel Commerce Cloud into its next generation Omni platform.
However, bigger does not always mean tidier. The group reported a Gaap net loss of $941.1 million for the final quarter, or $4.02 per diluted share. This was primarily due to a massive $1.1 billion bill for severance and real estate repositioning, alongside a $543.4 million loss on the sale of non-strategic businesses. When these one-off integration headaches are stripped away, the underlying performance looks far more robust, with adjusted net income reaching $607.7 million and earnings per share of $2.59, comfortably ahead of the prior year’s $2.41.
The group is also trimming the fat elsewhere. Management has identified underperforming and non-strategic units representing approximately $2.5 billion in revenue for exit or sale. Meanwhile, smaller majority-owned markets bringing in $700 million are being moved to minority positions. This portfolio pruning is designed to focus the New Omnicom on higher-growth areas like media, creative content, and data-driven consulting.
Investors, it seems, are being kept sweet with a significant return of capital. The board has approved a fresh $5 billion share repurchase program, initiating an immediate $2.5 billion accelerated buyback. This comes on top of $549.6 million paid out in common dividends during the year.
Performance across the sectors was a mixed bag but generally positive in the heavy-hitting divisions. Media and advertising revenue surged 34.4 per cent in the fourth quarter to $3,322.6 million, while public relations grew 12.4 per cent to $500.8 million. On the flip side, branding and retail commerce saw a 7.0 per cent dip. Regionally, the US remains the engine room, with revenue jumping 51.9 per cent to $2,869.1 million in the quarter, while the UK saw a respectable 18.8 per cent rise to $533.2 million.
With a total debt of $9.1 billion following the IPG acquisition, the group is leaning on its cash-generative nature to keep its investment-grade credit rating intact. Free cash flow for the year stood at $2,226.1 million, up from $1,964.7 million in 2024. As the company moves into 2026, the focus is firmly on the Connected Capability model, essentially ensuring that its global army of talent is pulling in the same direction, and more importantly, within a much leaner budget.
