MAM
Saavn draws up marketing campaign to promote Tata Docomo music driven data plan
NEW DELHI: Leading Bolywood and south Asian music service Saavn is stepping it up in India. The company has rolled out a pop culture marketing campaign to complement its recent data partnership with Tata Docomo.
Docomo‘s target audience in India comprised more than 80 per cent youth, resulting in a conscious effort to roll out a marketing campaign featuring American artistes Justin Timberlake‘s and Daft Punk‘s music. Saavn and Docomo have made a joint initiative to run the campaign aimed at increasing awareness levels through various touch points. The campaign will include TV, in-store, social and a massive SMS marketing program.
The marketing drive is an extension of a deal between Saavn and Docomo that kicked off earlier this month, bringing Indian mobile users a music-integrated data plan for the first time ever.
Docomo‘s subscribers will now have access to Saavn’s catalog of 1.1 million songs via a special stream-anywhere data plan – no WiFi necessary. Three monthly plans are available for Docomo’s GSP prepay customers: 500 minutes, 1000 minutes and 2000 minutes.
Both companies believe the campaign and new data service will create more value for Indian consumers to adopt smartphone data services while enjoying free social music services.
With 700 million mobile users, India boasts one of the largest mobile phone user bases in the world. This partnership marks the first-ever streaming music and carrier deal in India following a global trend of similar deals in America, Brazil, Scandanavia and France. Slacker and Muve recently teamed with carriers in the US., and Spotify and Deezer have launched similar programs in Scandanavia and France respectively.
“In India, consumers need an emotional reason to purchase data plans – music is the answer,” says Saavn co-founder and MD Paramdeep Singh. “The combination of Docomo‘s stellar reputation as a carrier, our vast Indian music catalog, and the appeal of global pop brands like Justin Timberlake, Daft Punk, Pink, Michael Jackson and Rihanna will only amplify the benefits of a worldwide shift in the way mobile users consume data.”
Content-integrated data plans are emerging as a three-way win: content providers can win millions of users out of the deal, carriers further substantiate data packages and open themselves up to a mobile advertising market worth billions of dollars, while consumers retain the freedom to consume data without being penalized.
Saavn is already credited for driving 5 per cent of data consumed in India, which is 15 times the amount of data driven by other Indian music providers. The marketing campaign is currently live in India.
MAM
Publicis Groupe acquires sports marketing agency 160over90
Deal strengthens Publicis Sports with global scale and talent partnerships.
MUMBAI: Publicis Groupe has just scored a major goal in the sports marketing arena and this time, it’s not just about fans in the stands, but brands looking to win big. The French advertising giant has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 160over90, a leading global sports and culture-first agency that is part of WME Group. The move builds on Publicis Sports’ recent expansions, including the acquisitions of Adopt and Bespoke in 2025, a partnership with Magic Johnson Enterprises, and the launch of Influential Sports.
The combined Publicis Sports group will be led by Suzy Deering, CEO of Publicis Sports. Robbie Henchman, most recently President of 160over90, will stay with WME Group as Senior Partner and President of its brand representation business while overseeing the strategic partnership between WME Group and Publicis Groupe.
160over90 employs over 670 people across the US, UK, EMEA and APAC. It specialises in creating meaningful connections between brands, sports events, properties and culture. The sports media market is valued at $150 billion globally, while sports sponsorships have crossed $90 billion, yet many marketers still struggle with fragmented and outdated approaches.
With this acquisition, Publicis aims to offer brands a more unified solution through greater scale and reach across key markets, data-first optimisation powered by the Publicis Sports Intelligence platform, activation of the creator economy via Influential, and a new strategic talent and entertainment partnership with WME Group.
Publicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun described sport as one of the most high-value channels in the age of AI. “This acquisition is the latest demonstration of our ongoing commitment to investing in the channels and capabilities that deliver the highest value for our clients,” he said.
Publicis Connected Media CEO Dave Penski added that sport has become the most powerful intersection of culture, commerce and community.
WME Group president and managing partner Mark Shapiro noted that combining 160over90 with Publicis Sports will create an unmatched offering for brands seeking deeper connections with sports fans.
In a fragmented sports marketing landscape, Publicis has clearly decided that the best way to win is to bring the whole team together turning scattered plays into one powerful, end-to-end strategy that connects brands to fans in meaningful and measurable ways.
