MAM
Partnerships – Key for better advertising: AAAI seminar
MUMBAI: Post all the view points of differt sector, this session marked the agency’s response to the earlier thoughts that were shared and the adverting opinion on the same. The panel entailed O&M executive chairman & NCD Piyush Pandey, Mudra Group MD & CEO Madhukar Kamat and Satchi & Satchi MD & CEO V Shantakumar.
Kickstarting the rebuttal was SKA Advisors Sunil Alagh who started off saying that the advertising agencies today are struggling to find the right insight for various campaigns. “Beg the best to join you, borrow when you can have competitiveness (Outsourcing) and steal if you better an idea and make it yours.” Citing the example of Sony who came up with the walkman concept, it was Apple’s iPod that has stolen the idea making the idea revolutionary and a rage. Alagh said that partnerships between advertising agencies and clients no more existed and agencies were treated like vendors and not creative partners.
Pandey said, ” Eighty five – Ninety per cent of ads that hit the tube are crap anyway. In this over excitement of technology and emerging mediums, we seem to have forgotten our basics.” Good advertising will come only if good partnerships are made and agencies are not treaded as vendors.”
Kamat pointed out that that with fundamental changes happening, media fragmentation on the upswing, true integration and talent was required to churn out top advertising. He stressed on the relevance of content and that mutual respect between both the agency and the client was vital and not the procurement evil. “Purchase departments have been now given the responsibility for calling for pitches.”
Shantaram said that ad agencies are still too focussed on what to say than what to do. “We are currently focussed on the content and not the context. We need to change our approach and redefine ourselves and form relationships. Our advertising need to affect transformation and bring in incremental change.”
The challenges that were pointed out were that agencies were being treated as suppliers and not strategists. The need for the hour was most definitely said to be raise the level of confidence agencies currently command with clients.
The AAAI Diamond Jubilee seminar ‘Beyond the Horizon’ culminated with Lintas India chairman & MD Prem Mehta giving the valedictory address, the recipient of the AAAI Premnarayan Award last year.
Mehta summed up the day highlighting the key issues addressed through the day. The need to build partnerships, remuneration cuts and the need for agencies to invest in themselves were thoughts that Mehta shared. The good news Mehta pointed out was the fact that racing fragmentation was accompanied with the phenomenon of an evolving consumer – both socially and economically.
He added, “Marketing has come of age, but the Indian industry is such that it has not seen the luxury of evolution. Aspects like pricing are becoming deciding factors. On the overall scene, this has led to the reduced ability to invest long term, which is a cause of concern.”
He urged the gathering to introspect and inch towards integrated communications outfits and move beyond the agency -client divide and embrace each other to produce a more fruitful outcome.
MAM
Nikita Kandhari expands role at Prime Video India
Senior leader now heads content marketing for hindi slate while retaining principal position.
MUMBAI: Nikita Kandhari just levelled up her Prime Video game because when you’re already scripting hits, the next move is to own the whole Hindi storyline. Nikita Kandhari has taken on an expanded leadership role at Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, now heading content marketing for the Hindi slate covering original series, movies, and licensed titles while continuing as principal for content marketing.
Announcing the move on LinkedIn, Kandhari wrote, “I’m excited to share that I’m stepping into an expanded role, leading content marketing for the Hindi slate… The past year has been an intense period of learning across building new IPs, shaping campaigns, and working more closely than ever with cross-functional teams. I’m grateful for the trust, mentorship, and collaboration that made that growth possible.”
In her broader mandate, Kandhari will shape integrated, audience-first marketing strategies for Prime Video’s growing Hindi content portfolio, aiming to deepen engagement with India’s booming streaming viewers through thoughtful, culturally attuned campaigns.
Kandhari brings nearly two decades of experience across media, FMCG, and advertising. Before Amazon, she held key roles at Netflix, Hotstar, Unilever, Ogilvy & Mather, and began her career in 2008 as a Research Analyst at The Nielsen Company. She holds an MBA in Marketing and Strategy/Leadership from the Indian School of Business.
Her expanded remit arrives as Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios continue to scale their Hindi originals and licensed offerings in one of the world’s most competitive and fast-growing streaming markets. For a platform betting big on regional storytelling, placing someone with Kandhari’s blend of strategic depth, creative campaign experience, and cross-industry insight at the helm feels like the perfect plot twist to keep viewers hooked.
