MAM
Starcom bags media mandate for Vadilal Group
Mumbai: Ice cream brand Vadilal Group has awarded its media business to Publicis Groupe’s Starcom, a human experience company. The pitch process managed over five weeks was clinched by Starcom which demonstrated its advantage in proprietary multi-channel planning tools, rich analytics and tech capability, said the statement.
As part of the mandate, Starcom will manage Vadilal’s media, strategy, planning, buying, negotiation and implementation for TV, digital, influencer and content initiatives. “The scope of work is future-forward with Vadilal looking to strengthen its presence not only in general trade but also modern trade, e-commerce and on-demand delivery,” the company said.
“We are delighted to have the opportunity to collaborate with Vadilal Ice Creams (Vadilal Enterprises) a consumer favorite across generations due to their quality and range of flavours,” remarked Starcom India COO Niti Kumar.
“We are a planning focused agency with data and tech at the heart of our products. With our record in delivering efficient and impactful media actions, Starcom will contribute to Vadilal’s growth plans in a world of new consumer realities.”
“At Vadilal, we wanted to bring more accountability and scientific approach to media investments. Our just concluded pitch process demanded extensive detailing and process alignment. We selected Starcom as our media partner after evaluating all media agencies and their offering, in line with Vadilal’s business requirements,” commented Vadilal Ice-Creams brand director Aakanksha Gandhi. “Starcom is a renowned integrated media agency and one of the best in their field. It would be a pleasure to onboard them and looking forward to working with them with further new age media innovations and avenues,” she added.
MUMBAI: Mar-tech network Wondrlab Network is in talks to acquire advertising major Madison World, according to media reports, in a move that could reshape India’s agency landscape.
In a statement shared with Social Samosa, Wondrlab Network founder and CEO Saurabh Varma, confirmed that the group is actively evaluating acquisition opportunities but declined to confirm any specific transaction.
“We have consistently stated that Wondrlab is building for scale, and acquisitions remain an important part of that strategy. We are in discussions with multiple companies across capabilities that strengthen our platform-first, full-funnel marketing and technology offering. Any development will be communicated at the appropriate time,” Varma said.
Wondrlab has pursued acquisitions as part of an ambitious plan to buy 26 agencies across three phases. In 2025, it completed its seventh acquisition, underscoring its appetite for inorganic growth.
According to reports, Madison founder Sam Balsara is seeking around Rs 1,000 crore for the agency. If the Wondrlab deal goes through, it would rank as the largest acquisition of an Indian agency by another Indian agency.
Wondrlab was launched in November 2020 by Saurabh Varma, Vandana Varma, and Rakesh Hinduja. Its first acquisition followed swiftly with the December 2020 purchase of Amit Akali’s creative shop, What’s Your Problem.
Since then, the group has steadily expanded its footprint. It acquired influencer marketing firm Opportune and performance marketing agency Neon in 2022. In 2023, it bought Salesforce consultancy and data analytics firm Cymetrix, alongside Poland-based WebTalk, marking its entry into Europe. It later added influencer marketing agency OPA and, last year, took a majority stake in BigStep Technologies, a generative AI and cloud-native software firm.
Madison, meanwhile, has long been a target for global advertising groups. Over the years, it has drawn interest from WPP, Publicis Groupe and Dentsu. In May 2025, Havas was reported to be the frontrunner, with an offer of about Rs 700 crore for a majority stake.
Earlier talks with WPP in 2015, when Madison was valued at roughly Rs 500 crore, collapsed over valuation and equity differences. Discussions with Publicis and Dentsu also failed to yield a deal.
