MAM
OgilvyOne launches service to help companies drive sales via social media
MUMBAI: OgilvyOne Worldwide has launched a new offering, Social Selling, in the US to help companies drive topline growth through the use of social media. It will be led by OgilvyOne Consulting in partnership with a group of sales experts.
The marketing network company introduced the service following a research it conducted among 1,000 sales professionals in the US, UK, Brazil and China, which revealed that there is “social media adoption gap” existing between salespeople and sales organisations.
OgilvyOne Worldwide chairman and CEO Brian Fetherstonhaugh said, “Our research has shown that the people on the front-line, the salespeople themselves, recognise the power and potential of social media. They are hungry for education and empowerment, yet few companies are providing the access and training they need. Part of our new ‘Social Selling‘ offering has been designed to help companies overcome this discrepancy and drive sales growth.”
The research says that social media has had an enormous impact on buying behavior with 49 per cent of sellers seeing social media as important to their success. Among the most successful salespeople, over two-thirds believed social media is integral to their sales success.
OgilvyOne Worldwide COO Gunther Schumacher added, “Selling must evolve in lockstep with the way people are buying today. The “21st Century Selling” offering maximizes sales potential through both Social Selling and Branded Selling, and draws upon the experience of our expert partners, such as John Callies, an IBM sales veteran. The offering consolidates assignments Ogilvy has been conducting for clients like IBM and Ford in the U.S. and Unilever in Asia. “
In the survey 68 per cent of sales professionals said that the selling process is changing faster than what their own organisations are adapting.
According to the research, companies were not providing solid training to sales professionals in social media. In fact many are actively discouraging the use of social media despite the fact that customers are buying that way. 48 per cent of salespeople believed their companies are afraid of letting employees use social media.
As per the research 25 per cent salespeople surveyed in Brazil said that they receive training on social media usage. 38 per cent of the salespeople surveyed in China use personal blogs in their selling process while only 3 per cent of US salespeople do the same.
The “Social Selling” offering is part of the company‘s broader initiative called “21st Century Selling” to help clients maximise sales.
Brands
OpenAI hires Nitin Bawankule as head of enterprise sales, India
Former AWS, Google and Disney+ Hotstar leader to drive AI adoption at scale
MUMBAI: OpenAI has appointed Nitin Bawankule as head of enterprise sales for India, strengthening its leadership bench as it deepens its push into one of the world’s fastest-growing AI markets.
Bawankule, who will join in mid-May, brings more than two decades of experience across cloud, media, and digital ecosystems. Most recently, he served at Amazon Web Services, where he led multiple high-growth verticals and helped accelerate enterprise adoption of cloud and AI solutions in India.
Announcing the move, OpenAI head of enterprise sales, India Nitin Bawankule said he is looking forward to helping organisations transition from “isolated AI pilots to company-wide transformation” and embedding AI into everyday workflows to unlock productivity and better decision-making.
Before AWS, Bawankule held senior leadership roles at The Walt Disney Company, where he led ad sales for Disney+ Hotstar and television networks, driving revenue growth across major sporting and entertainment properties. He also spent over eight years at Google, including a stint as country director for Google Cloud in India.
His appointment comes at a time when Indian enterprises are rapidly scaling AI adoption, moving beyond experimentation to integrating AI into core business functions. OpenAI’s decision to bring in a seasoned enterprise leader signals its intent to capture this opportunity and build deeper partnerships across industries.
With a strong track record in navigating major technology shifts, Bawankule is expected to play a key role in translating AI’s promise into practical, business-ready solutions for Indian companies.
As the race to operationalise AI gathers pace, OpenAI’s latest hire suggests it is gearing up not just to participate, but to lead from the front in India’s enterprise AI story.
