AD Agencies
VMLY&R India appoints Ajay Ravindran as Director – Strategy and Planning
Mumbai: VMLY&R India, an award-winning digital marketing, advertising and transformation agency has appointed Ajay Ravindran as Director – Strategy and Planning. Ajay will work closely with Saurabh Mathur (Head of Strategy & Planning) and Anil K Nair (CEO), to drive strategy and growth of the agency.
Ajay will head the brand planning function for VMLY&R in India. His mandate is to ensure that strategic thinking is at the core of all the offerings of the agency – across all verticals including Brand Stewardship (Campaigns & Content), Commerce, and Experience & Technology. Additionally, he will spearhead the Brand Advisory practice here.
Commenting on this, Anil K Nair, CEO, VMLY&R India, stated, “Ajay will be working at the intersection of Brand Strategy and Technology, so that VMLY&R is at the forefront of defining how brands would need to evolve in this new, emerging, complex, post-digital world. Having helmed senior roles, Ajay will be a trusted advisor for our clients- current and potential – a responsibility I am sure he will cherish!”
Speaking on his new role, Ajay Ravindran, Director- Strategy & Planning, VMLY&R India said, ‘In their eagerness to become the agency of the future, I feel most agencies are forgetting being the agency of the present. At VMLY&R, I saw not just an agency but a holistic marketing services firm – with cutting edge solutions encompassing content, commerce and platforms. It seemed to me that it could answer all the questions clients are seeking answers to TODAY, but don’t know whom to ask.’
He further added, ‘But beyond all this was an X factor that escaped words – the palpable chemistry with the team, the richness of conversations and the vibe of the place itself. The more I interacted and learned, the more urgent was the question, “OK, so when do we start?” ’
Ajay has around 14 years of work experience across Media Planning, Market Research and Account Planning, and hence brings a holistic view to brand strategy. He has handled blue chip clients including: Britannia (Marie Gold, 50-50, Nutrichoice, Cake and Rusk), Unilever
(Kissan, Knorr, Annapurna, PureIt), Zee Group, Flipkart, TVS (Scooty, Radeon), Titan (Skinn, Sonata), 3M (Scotch Brite), Aditya Birla Group (Louis Philippe), Tanishq and Gold Plus.
Some of his campaigns have gone on to win awards, including EFFIE (Tanishq & Flipkart), INDIAA Awards (Dell & Scotch Brite) and CMO Asia Marketing Awards (Dell). He has also been a finalist at WARC (for Britannia Cake).
Ajay’s last assignment was with Lowe Lintas, Mumbai, where he was Vice President – Strategic Planning, leading the brand strategy mandate on Zee, PureIt, Unilever Foods and Setu. Previously, he led the same mandate for Flipkart, Britannia, TVS, Titan at Lowe Lintas Bangalore. He has also worked with Ogilvy, JWT, Grey, and L&K Saatchi & Saatchi.
He is an MBA from NMIMS, Mumbai; a leading Indian B-School. Apart from work, Ajay loves reading, quizzing, motorcycling and is an aspiring author.
AD Agencies
Microsoft shifts global media account from Dentsu to Publicis Groupe: Reports
Closed review ends decade-long tie-up; Xbox remit may remain with Dentsu
MUMBAI: Microsoft has reassigned its global media planning and buying business to Publicis Groupe, according to media reports, ending Dentsu’s long-standing stewardship of one of the advertising industry’s biggest accounts.
The move follows a closed review and marks a notable shake-up in the global media landscape. Dentsu, which managed the account through Carat, had held the mandate since 2014 and successfully defended it in a 2018 review.
While the broader business is shifting, Dentsu is expected to retain media responsibilities for Xbox, according to media reports, though the exact contours of that arrangement remain unclear. None of the parties involved have publicly outlined the transition timeline or the full structure of the handover.
The scale of the account underscores the significance of the change. Estimates from COMvergence, cited by Ad Age, peg Microsoft’s global media spend at roughly $700 million last year.
For Publicis Groupe, the win deepens an already expanding relationship with the tech giant. Earlier this year, Microsoft Advertising partnered with Publicis Media Exchange and Epsilon to integrate Epsilon’s data into its platform, aiming to sharpen targeting across search, native and display formats.
The decision reflects a broader industry shift, as large advertisers increasingly favour agency partners with strong first-party data capabilities, AI integration and platform-led solutions. Publicis Groupe has been leaning into this model, positioning its data assets and technology stack as a central differentiator.
For Dentsu, the loss is significant. Media remains a core pillar of its global business, and the development comes close on the heels of leadership changes, including the appointment of Takeshi Sano as global chief executive officer.
The shift also carries a touch of irony. Microsoft and Dentsu have worked closely beyond the client-agency relationship, including collaborations around AI tools such as Copilot to support media and creative workflows.
As the dust settles, the message is clear: in today’s data-driven, AI-powered media world, relationships may be long, but they are rarely permanent.
