MAM
Sakhuja right leader to continue Maxus’ global growth story: Dominic Proctor
MUMBAI: Vikram Sakhuja becomes the first Indian to head an international media agency, being named as the global CEO of Maxus in GroupM‘s latest changing of the guard.
Sakhuja takes charge of Maxus at a time when the GroupM media agency is riding a strong growth phase amid an economic slowdown. According to RECMA, Maxus is the fastest growing agency and has seen a 43.6 per cent jump in its global billings to $6.875 billion in 2011.
In an exclusive telephonic chat with Indiantelevision.com, GroupM global president Dominic Proctor said Sakhuja is the “right leader” to “take up Maxus‘ challenge of continuing its growth globally.”
The confidence in Sakhuja shows how GroupM is looking at moving its talent pool from across the world at a time when technology enables companies to be run from anywhere.
“We had a discussion with Sakhuja and he wanted to be based out of Mumbai. Logistics is not an important issue in today‘s age,” Proctor said.
Sakhuja‘s rise is all the more indicative of his individual acumen as he has been given the new position not because India has become strategically important for Maxus but due to his leadership skills. The agency, in fact, has been growing much faster in some of the other matured markets than India.
“There is nothing India-centric in his appointment. If anything, it is only a symbolic coincidence that he will be based out of Mumbai.
Maxus is growing very fast across and India is an anomaly. India, though, is doing well and has the potential to become one of Maxus‘ jewels,” Proctor said.
In India, Maxus is growing at 25 per cent and posted billings of $570 million in 2011, according to RECMA. The agency, on the other hand, more than doubled its billings in the US where it ended with $2 billion from $900 million in 2010. In Asia-Pacific, Maxus‘s billings stood at $1.94 billion, up 22.4 per cent.
Much of Sakhuja‘s time and attention will move towards the matured media markets where Maxus gets most of its growth and businesses despite global economic stresses. Agencies are needing to adapt to technology and digital demands in the marketplace. The US, in particular, is going through massive changes. Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Apple are the digital media giants and have spread their tentacles far and wide across the globe.
Sakhuja‘s global entry is at this opportune moment. Maxus has pocketed a string of new accounts over the last one year including the prized NBC Universal and SC Johnson.
Sakhuja is not new to media companies. Before joining GroupM in 2002 and rising to the position of CEO for South Asia, he has spent a year in Rupert Murdoch‘s Star India from 2000. He set up the marketing department at Star for its TV entertainment channels, including the launch of Star Vijay and Radio City.
Proctor believes Maxus has “headroom for growth”. Sakhuja‘s agenda will be “to drive growth in not just billings but also new products and services”.
According to RECMA, Maxus has been one of the fastest growing agencies over the last few years. “Maxus‘ growth has come mainly from the organic route. We also strike all sorts of partnerships to grow,” explained Proctor.
Maxus and Motivator South Asia managing director Ajit Varghese is already feeling special. “We will have the added advantage of sitting closer to the global CEO. Clients also will feel excited that they will get the global CEO‘s time and dedicated attention ,” he said.
Verghese, however, feels Maxus‘ growth in India will not directly see any dramatic spurt because of having an Indian global CEO sitting in India. “We are growing pretty strongly and this year have already won four major accounts – Discovery India, Mannapuran Gold Loan, Wipro and Matrubhumi. Our strategy is not just to add size but to work with good brands.”
The agency’s existing big clients include Vodafone, Hero Future Group, Tata Motors, Nokia and Google.
Will having the global CEO based out of Mumbai mean less procedural delays for India business? “Maxus is extremely agile as an organisation. Even under Kelly Clark (whom Sakhuja is replacing), we used to get very quick responses. I used to get responses to my emails in two minutes,” said Verghese.
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Vikram Sakhuja is Maxus global CEO
MAM
Barista partners Ginny Weds Sunny 2 with mango campaign
Cafe chain blends cinema buzz with summer menu and 20 per cent offer.
MUMBAI: Love may brew slowly, but marketing clearly doesn’t especially when coffee meets cinema and mangoes steal the spotlight. Barista Coffee Company has partnered with the upcoming hindi film Ginny Weds Sunny 2 as its official beverage partner, in a move aimed at tapping into youth culture through entertainment-led engagement. The collaboration is not just a logo placement exercise. Instead, Barista is translating the film’s high-energy vibe into its cafés with a themed summer menu titled “Main Hoon Mango”, accompanied by a limited-period 20 per cent discount on combo offerings across outlets.
Actors Medha Shankr and Avinash Tiwary feature in the campaign, seen engaging with the mango-themed menu inside Barista cafés, a visual cue designed to blur the lines between reel and real-life consumption moments.
The strategy reflects a broader shift in how consumer brands are leveraging hindi film industry not just for visibility, but for immersive, on-ground engagement. By embedding the film’s narrative into its product experience, Barista is aiming to drive footfall, especially among younger audiences who increasingly seek experiential touchpoints over traditional advertising.
Barista Coffee Company CEO Rajat Agrawal described the partnership as both a branding and growth play, focused on expanding reach beyond the existing customer base and aligning with evolving consumer preferences.
The emphasis on a seasonal, flavour-led hook mango, one of India’s most culturally resonant ingredients adds a timely layer to the campaign, aligning with summer consumption trends while riding on the film’s promotional momentum.
For Barista, the move is part of a larger positioning shift. Rather than operating purely as a coffee retail chain, the brand is increasingly framing itself as a lifestyle destination, one that intersects with entertainment, conversation and shared experiences. By integrating cinema into its physical spaces, Barista is effectively turning cafés into micro-extensions of the film’s universe, where consumers do not just watch a story unfold but participate in it sip by sip.
The 20 per cent offer further nudges trial, lowering the barrier for consumers to engage with the themed menu while amplifying recall through a tangible incentive.
Brand-film collaborations are hardly new, but their execution is evolving. Where earlier partnerships relied on co-branded ads or product placements, the current playbook leans towards immersive storytelling and retail integration.
In that sense, Barista’s “Main Hoon Mango” push is less about promotion and more about participation inviting consumers to experience a slice of the film within a familiar, everyday setting. As the film industry continues to act as a cultural amplifier, such partnerships underline a growing truth, in today’s attention economy, it is not enough to be seen brands must be experienced.
And if that experience comes with a mango twist and a cinematic backdrop, all the better.
