AD Agencies
Lowe Lintas and Partners to host the 12th Portfolio Night in Mumbai
MUMBAI: Think you can write a copy which will wow the creative heads of leading agencies? Then it is time to participate in the Portfolio Night.
In its constant endeavor to encourage and bring in raw, young creative talent to the shores of Indian advertising, Lowe Lintas and Partners will organise the twelfth edition of Portfolio Night in Mumbai. This is for the second time that the agency is hosting Portfolio Night in India.
A global portfolio review and recruitment event is a platform for young creative aspirants to have their work sampled by at least top creative directors from the industry in one evening. In the process they not only get feedback and advice, but if they are good enough, they might land up a job as well. It is conducted on the same date in more than 20 cities all over the world every year.
With this announcement, Lowe Lintas and Partners calls upon young creative professionals from advertising, digital and design agencies and senior students of art colleges from across the country to be a part of the world’s largest advertising portfolio review-cum-recruitment event.
“Advertising has been the nesting place for too many media related professions. And we have lost people to these newer options. PN is also a great platform for young people to discover the joys of advertising. And since we have to cast this net wider PN should only get bigger!” said Lowe Lintas and Partners NCD Amer Jaleel.
The agency’s NCD Arun Iyer added, “It’s a great opportunity for Lowe Lintas to give back to the community and the industry of advertising. We would want young creative guys to come in and get the chance to talk to some of the best known CDs in the country. Not only to get a sense of what the real world is all about, but also for the encouragement that they deserve and opportunities that advertising offers.”
Founded by IHAVEANIDEA in 2003 and now presented by Art Directors Club, New York, the 2014 Portfolio Night 12 event will be held simultaneously in more than 20 participating cities worldwide. In addition to Lowe Lintas in Mumbai, confirmed Portfolio Night 12 cities and City Hosts include:
· Athens, hosted by Bold Ogilvy & Mather
· Austin, hosted by LatinWorks
· Beijing, hosted by Ogilvy & Mather
· Beirut, hosted by Havas Worldwide Middle East
· Boston, hosted by SapientNitro
· Budapest, hosted by Kirwoskiisobar & Umbrella
· Cape Town, hosted by McCann
· Chicago, hosted by Chicago Portfolio School
· Detroit, hosted by Doner
· Dubai, hosted by Havas Worldwide Middle East
· Johannesburg, hosted by McCann Johannesburg
· Kansas City, hosted by VML
· Los Angeles, hosted by Team One
· Montreal, hosted by Tank
· New York, hosted by Huge
· Paris, hosted by AACC
· Shanghai, hosted by Ogilvy & Mather
· Singapore, hosted by BatesCHI & Partners
· Tel Aviv, hosted by Habetzefer Advertising School
· Tokyo, hosted by Saatchi & Saatchi Fallon Tokyo
· Toronto, hosted by The Hive
Each City Host is responsible for bringing together the top creative directors in its city with up-and-coming advertising talent; which will provide junior talent with the opportunity to learn from the best, and to provide leading industry creative directors with a chance to mentor and give back to the advertising industry.
With 25 top CDs from the industry slated to attend and review the work of young, enthusiastic and creative, this highly anticipated evening will unite advertising and design communities in every continent as the next generation of creative talent makes an exciting foray into the industry.
The idea is to not just create a platform for young talent, but to also actively look for the unique, different and gifted. For the review process, aspirants will be divided into three batches and every aspirant will be given a chance to get his/her portfolio reviewed by three creative directors. Each creative director will meet three candidates individually for 15 minutes and review their work, ideas and offer them feedback.
The best portfolio out of the lot will be identified as ALL STAR and will be flown to New York to take part in a week long creative challenge on a specific brief.
Portfolio Night 12 is made possible by the support of global sponsors – Shutterstock, Twitter and SqaureSpace.
Tickets for Portfolio Night are on sale since 16 April. More details are available on http://www.portfolionight.com/12/mumbai/
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.
