MAM
Max signs on Sehwag as channel ambassador
MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment Television India’s movies and cricket channel Max already has a cricket legend as its brand ambassador in Kapil Dev. It has now added a potential legend in the making and Indian cricket’s new “master blaster” Virender Sehwag to its roster.
Sehwag will represent brand Max and will be closely associated with the channel in presenting the biggest ICC tournaments coming up. He will play a crucial role in Max’s programming, marketing and promotion efforts.
Sehwag, who will be endorsing Max for the next two years (which can be extended to five years), is represented by Latika Khaneja’s Collage Sports Management. While channel officials remained tight-lipped on the terms of the deal, industry sources estimate Sehwag’s contract would involve a payout of Rs 3-4 million a year, which works out to Rs 15-20 million spread over five years. One reason for the “low signing amount”, according to the sources, is that cricketers’ rates have dropped significantly in the wake of the shoddy performances put out by the Boys in Blue in the recent past.
SET India CEO Kunal Dasgupta made the announcement this afternoon in Mumbai that Sehwag would be teaming up with Kapil Dev, Mandira Bedi (of the noodle straps fame) and channel mascot Sameer Khan to promote Max.
Said Dasgupta, “Sehwag’s passion, drive and energy, and his ability to keep people enthralled and entertained, are truly reflective of the passion and ‘Deewanapan’ that Max stands for. I am indeed pleased to welcome Sehwag to the Max family.”
Having said that, Kapil’s signing proved a bulls eye hit for Sony, especially as soon after the deal was done, he was declared Wisden’s Indian Cricketer of the Century, pipping both cricketing sensation Sachin Tendulkar and batting maestro Sunil Gavaskar in the race for honours.
With Sehwag’s coming aboard Max, Sony would certainly be hoping the Indian batting ace leads from the front on the field. There is nothing that will jack up viewership and bring ad money rolling in like a winning performance from the Indian cricket team.
The cricketing properties Max has lined up include the ICC Super Seires 2005, the ICC Championship Trophy 2006 (to be played in India), and the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2007 (in the West Indies).
AD Agencies
Omnicom Advertising Asia assembles new regional leadership team
The group is betting that a blend of creative talent, cultural intelligence and AI-driven data can help brands stay relevant in the world’s most complex marketing region.
Asia has long been the market that humbles the overconfident. Omnicom Advertising Asia is determined not to be among them.
The group announced on Monday the formation of a new regional leadership team of six senior executives, reporting to Sean Donovan, president of OA Asia. The structure is designed to help brands navigate a fragmented, fast-moving consumer landscape and build what Donovan calls “long-term cultural relevance” — the kind that survives a news cycle, a platform shift and an algorithm update.
The team
The six appointments span creativity, innovation, strategy, intelligence, business development and marketing, covering the full arc from brand idea to commercial outcome.
Peter Khoury takes on the role of chief creative officer for OA Asia, Melissa Daniels becomes chief innovation officer, and Emmanuel Sabbagh steps up as chief strategy officer. All three take on expanded regional responsibilities while retaining their leadership positions at TBWA\Singapore.
Andreas Krasser broadens his remit to chief client partner for OA Asia, continuing simultaneously as chief executive of OA Hong Kong. Ellie Brocklehurst joins as chief growth and marketing officer, drawing on her previous stint as chief marketing officer for Asia at TBWA. Rounding out the team is S. Subramanyeswar, known in the industry as Subbu, who was appointed chief knowledge officer for OA Asia alongside his role as chief strategy officer of OA India, a position that followed the close of Omnicom’s acquisition of IPG.The pitch
The team will work in close collaboration with leadership across TBWA, McCann and BBDO throughout the OA Asia network, with a brief to cut through the noise of today’s consumer landscape and deliver creative solutions that, in the group’s framing, prove short-term performance while building long-term brand health.
Underpinning the new structure is OMNI, Omnicom’s AI-driven marketing intelligence platform. The platform draws cultural intelligence from across the group’s agency brands, with the stated aim of ensuring that data is not merely accurate but grounded in context — reflecting how people actually think, feel and behave, rather than how a spreadsheet might prefer them to.
Donovan frames the proposition in straightforward terms. “Asia is one of the most complex regions for marketers, but the opportunity here is immense,” he says. “We’ve built a team that simplifies the landscape, combining top talent with an Asia-first, future-focused mindset, and unprecedented access to resources.” The model, he adds, is designed to be plug-and-play, responding to client needs in collaboration with agencies and markets across the region. “More than expertise, it’s about giving clients the perspective, ambition and access to think beyond the next campaign.”
The new structure also strengthens connections across the broader Omnicom family, including its media, production and PR operations — a post-acquisition suite of capabilities that the group is evidently keen to deploy as a single, coherent offering.
In a region where consumer attention is fractured across dozens of platforms, languages and cultures, the real test will not be the org chart. It will be whether six smart people with the right tools can actually make brands matter. Omnicom is putting its money on yes.
