MAM
Varma’s The Factory appoints Starcom as its digital AoR
MUMBAI: Bollywood production and distribution company, The Factory, today announced Starcom Digital as its agency of record for all online and offline interactive media.
With immediate effect the agency will look after planning, negotiation and evaluation of The Factory’s digital initiatives. The assignment also includes development of online communities and launch of future titles of The Factory.
The Factory is the new name for the merged entity between producer-director Ramgopal Varma’s Varma Corp. and K Sera Sera.
“We believe the digital medium has not been properly leveraged by the movie business. We liked the vision Starcom presented to us. We hope that working together, we can do some ground breaking stuff,” Varma was quoted in an official release as saying.
“This is like a dream come true for us. Varma Corp is known to be amongst the best in their business and we are really looking forward to working with them. This assignment comes to us at a very significant stage, since we are on the verge of relaunching our product offering with a new vision and new scope,” Pranay Anthwal, group head, Starcom Digital, was quoted in the same release as saying.
“For The Factory, we intend using the entire gamut of digital vehicles, from internet to offline media like screensavers and other desktop applications to mobile media such as mobile phones and PDAs. The opportunities are literally limitless,” Anthwal said.
Digital
Kausik Misra joins BigTrunk Communications as senior vice president- strategy
Content veteran from Zee to steer strategy at independent agency
MUMBAI: Kausik Misra is switching from prime-time hits to brand playbooks. The former non-fiction content head at Zee Entertainment Enterprises has joined BigTrunk Communications as senior vice president–strategy, as agencies race to pair storytelling with hard business outcomes.
Announced in Mumbai, the hire adds a 15-year content and marketing hand to BigTrunk’s leadership as it courts brands seeking cultural relevance and measurable returns. Misra spent years shaping tentpole shows on Zee TV, helping build franchises such as Dance India Dance, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Zee Rishtey Awards and Zee Cine Awards, and pushing them across television and digital ecosystems.
At BigTrunk, he is expected to tighten strategic planning, deepen audience insight and refine narrative frameworks for clients chasing long-term brand equity. Misra pitches the move as a chance to blend consumer insight, storytelling and commercial discipline in one shop.
Founder and ceo Akhil Nair is betting on content DNA to fuel growth, arguing that brands now demand culture-literate strategy, not just media weight.
Founded in 2013, the agency operates from Delhi and Bangalore, with outposts in the United Arab Emirates and the United States. Its client roster ranges from Warner Bros. and H&R Johnson to Unibic Foods, HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited, ORRA Jewellery, Saraswat Bank and Discovery Kids.
As brands hunt attention in a crowded market, agencies are raiding the content world for talent. Misra’s bet is that sharp stories still sell—and that strategy, like television, is a game of hits.
