AD Agencies
O&M launches B2B practice – Ogilvy Business Network
MUMBAI: As India emerges as a hub for IT, BT, ITES and BPO companies in the world, the need for a new channel of communications has arisen, that of Business to Business (B2B) communication. Ogilvy has tapped this area and has in turn opened its India operations – Ogilvy Business Network (OBN) that will cater to the many offshore businesses in India.
OBN has already been successfully introduced in the key Asia Pacific markets and resides in over 120 countries in the Ogilvy network. Harnessing this expertise from across the network will be a swift and smooth transfer of knowledge tools and staff training. The Ogilvy global network will provide access to expertise of a global standard that is currently servicing international clients around the world, informs an official release.
Ogilvy, being the leading communications agency in India and managing the largest share of communications spent in this market, is well-known for its B2C (Business to Consumer) communication work with several prominent brands – both local and multinational – in this segment, such as Hindustan Lever, Titan, Asian Paints, Fevicol, Hutch, etc.
OBN will aim at harnessing the existing strengths of the agency to provide clients with the best of breed solutions driven by strategy and insights. Existing services such as Ogilvy PR, OgilvyOne, OgilvyInteractive and Ogilvy Activation will complement the new initiative in their respective countries.
Commenting on the launch of the B2B service, O&M CEO India and South Asia John Goodman said, “We have a wide network of offices across the globe that share best practices and provide cutting-edge solutions to leading brands in the world each day. Ogilvy Business Network will take advantage of this strength to provide clients with a single window interface for services required in key cities in the world.”
O&M executive chairman and national creative director Piyush Pandey said, “Ogilvy is considered a power brand in India today and this is a result of our strong focus on creativity, professionalism and our vast portfolio of offerings. Ogilvy Business Network will be the latest entrant among our professional services that will help us consolidate the position even further.”
Ogilvy Asia Pacific B2B Practice group leader and director Asia Pacific – IBM Brand Services Bill Merrick explains, “This will be a focus segment for Ogilvy in the coming months and we have established suitable resources and finalised investments to support its growth. I am also happy to announce that we have already recorded business wins in B2B from Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai in the last few months.”
On a country-by-country basis, India is expected to show the highest CAGR (compounded annual growth rate) of 83.7 per cent in e-commerce revenue from 2003 to 2008, thus marginally exceeding the CAGR of 81 per cent expected in China, according to IDC’s forecast on Asia Pacific Internet market. Consequently B2B e-commerce is estimated to grow rapidly at a CAGR of 59.1 per cent. Ogilvy India’s B2B practice is geared to meet this growth.
AD Agencies
Publicis Brazil’s creative chief Mauro Ramalho lands the jury chair at Abby Awards 2026
Mauro Ramalho brings 25 years of global advertising firepower to the new creative commerce, use of data and B2B category at Goafest
GOA: The Abby Awards 2026, powered by The One Club and The One Show, has appointed Mauro Ramalho, chief creative officer of Publicis Brazil, as jury chair for its newly launched creative commerce, use of data and B2B category. The announcement, made on 18 March, signals the awards’ intent to bring serious international muscle to a category that sits squarely at the intersection of creativity and commercial performance.
Ramalho is not a name that needs much introduction in global advertising circles. Over 25 years spanning three countries, he has worked at some of the industry’s most creatively restless addresses. At AKQA in San Francisco, he worked across McDonald’s, Nike, Fox, Target, Kraft Foods and GAP, and helped lead “The Lost Ring” for McDonald’s, one of the first alternate reality campaigns and among the most awarded projects of its era. He later moved to Organic in Toronto, bridging the Detroit and Toronto offices on Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler, before spending over a decade building CUBOCC into one of Brazil’s most iconic and innovative independent agencies, which subsequently joined the IPG network.
A stint at FCB followed, where Ramalho led integrated work bridging online and offline, before he joined R/GA São Paulo as vice-president and executive creative director, stitching together the São Paulo office with New York, London, Portland and California on global clients including Verizon, Google, Meta, Samsung, American Express and Heineken. He now heads Publicis Brazil as its chief creative officer.
His trophy cabinet includes Clios, Effies, TikTok awards and MMA Smarties, and he has served on juries at the Andys, TikTok and the Lisbon Awards.
The Abby Awards 2026 is scheduled to take place at Goafest 2026 on 20, 21 and 22 May in Goa.
For Indian advertising, landing a jury chair of Ramalho’s calibre for a category built around data-driven creativity and commerce is a statement of ambition. Goafest just raised its own bar.
