Brands
WATConsult celebrates 11 yrs with unique board game
MUMBAI: WATConsult, the digital and social media agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, has launched PlayAgency, an innovative board-game, as part of its 11th anniversary celebration. To break the monotony of regular anniversary campaigns, the agency came up with something unique which caters to all advertising industry individuals.
The idea behind launching PlayAgency is that every agency in India, be it digital, creative, OOH or BTL is somewhere connected. They might be different in nature, but deep down they all are the same; every agency has diverse strengths, but one common aim. The approaches may differ at times, but the challenges connect them; they might be divided by experiences, but their spirit remains the same.
Taking this thought forward, the board-game has been made, which allows players to run an ad agency and experience all the highs and lows of it. Players will have to take tough decisions, win clients, acquire companies, manage pay-cheques, chart a vision for the company along with other similar tasks.
Along with this, WATConsult ran a digital campaign called #EveryAgencyEver, which highlighted the daily challenges and joys which takes place in every agency, in terms of client approvals, campaign ideas, pitches and follow ups amongst others. The agency even launched its own Facebook party filter for everyone to join in the celebrations.
WATConsult founder and CEO Rajiv Dingra says, “On the occasion of our 11th anniversary, I would take this opportunity to thank every single person who has been a part of the WAT journey. Our team, former teams, clients and our network; it wouldn’t have been the same without you.”
Dentsu Aegis Network chairman and CEO South Asia Ashish Bhasin mentions, “I would like to congratulate WATConsult on their 11th anniversary and wish them many more successful years ahead. I had a great time playing PlayAgency with Rajiv. It’s interesting to actually play a game of something we all agency individuals live by every day.”
Brands
UK’s OnlyFans seeks US investor at $3bn valuation after owner’s death
The adult video platform is seeking stability after the death of its billionaire owner
LONDON: OnlyFans is looking for a new partner. The London-based adult video platform is in advanced talks to sell a minority stake of less than 20 per cent to Architect Capital, a San Francisco-based investment firm, in a deal that would value the business at more than $3bn (£2.2bn).
The move is driven by an urgent need for stability. Leonid Radvinsky, the Ukrainian-American billionaire who owned OnlyFans, died of cancer last month at the age of 43, leaving the future of one of Britain’s most profitable privately held businesses suddenly uncertain.
The choice of Architect Capital is not arbitrary. The firm has deep expertise in financial services, which aligns neatly with OnlyFans’ ambitions to offer banking products to its creators, many of whom have long struggled to access basic financial services because of the nature of their work.
The numbers behind OnlyFans are, by any measure, staggering. The platform posted revenues of $1.4bn in the year to 30th November 2024, with a pre-tax profit of $684m, up four per cent on the prior year. Payments to creators totalled $7.2bn over the same period, a rise of nearly ten per cent. Radvinsky personally collected $701m in dividends from the business in 2024 alone, on top of more than $1bn in such payments he had already received. The platform, run through its parent company Felix International, hosts 4.6m creator accounts, with performers keeping 80 per cent of subscription proceeds and the platform pocketing the remaining 20 per cent. It has 377m fan accounts in total.
The current minority stake talks represent a notable scaling back of ambitions. In January, OnlyFans was reported to be in discussions with Architect about selling a majority stake of 60 per cent. Before that, the company had explored a sale to a consortium led by Forest Road Company, a Los Angeles-based investment firm. Neither deal materialised.
OnlyFans has built an enormously lucrative business on content that mainstream finance has long refused to touch. Now, with its owner gone and a $3bn valuation on the table, it is looking for the kind of respectable institutional backing that might finally persuade the banks to take its calls.
